Paint to Sell - Color Choices and Tips to Get Your House Ready to Sell

As the housing market cools, proper staging of a home can make for a timely and profitable sale. Before you put that "For Sale" sign in the front yard, there are a few steps you should take to ensure you get top dollar for your home.

When staging your home, paint at least one room. The smell of fresh paint will show potential buyers that your house is updated and well cared for. Paint the front door to enhance curb appeal. Painting the garage, basement, storage and laundry rooms a light warm color to freshen the walls gives buyers additional reassurance the home is in good condition.

Neutralize

As much as you may love color - showing restraint will put money in the bank when you sell your home. Warm neutral colors appeal to home buyers more than dark bold colors or white, which can be too stark. Stick to colors that have universal appeal such as golden beiges, sandy tans and soft sages. Painting the ceiling a neutral color also can soften the room and add warmth.

White-Plus-One

Focus on the kitchen and baths. Buyers look for kitchens and baths that are already updated with light counter tops and new flooring. Cabinets can be updated with new hardware and resurfaced as necessary. People like white cabinets, so bring the room to life by adding color to the walls. White-plus-one is the easiest color combination there is, because any color goes with white-even pale colors. Find the right white for the cabinets and add a warm neutral color to the walls. Add an accent color and texture with baskets, pillows, rugs and window treatments.

Limit two colors in a bath. Most bathrooms have white fixtures such as the sink, tub and tiles; a white-plus-one color scheme is a foolproof way to help visually expand a less than grand space by keeping it simple.

Color Connection

Color is the easiest way to connect different spaces. A pale beige color for the living or dining room coordinated with a golden hue in the kitchen will create continuity between the rooms, especially in the common areas. After choosing wall colors, choose a trim color that will coordinate with all rooms to create continuity from space to space. There is more leeway in bedrooms and bathrooms to use strong colors because they are often set apart from other rooms in the house.

Choose the right sheen of paint to suit the room. Flat paint has a velvety suede look that is soothing and restful. Use flat paint to downplay texture and imperfections. The higher the sheen of the paint the more texture and imperfections will show. An eggshell finish is more practical for high traffic areas such as stairwells, kitchens and baths, because it does not show scuffs and handprints as much as a flat paint. A satin finish is best used on trim, cabinets and in steamy environments such as a kitchen or bathroom, to prevent water spots from showing. Use a glossy sheen or sealer to draw attention to architectural details such as crown molding or a fireplace.

Wall Treatments

When painting a two-tone treatment, use a darker color below the chair rail to prevent a top-heavy look. To make a room look larger paint vertical stripes on the walls.

Be cautious when applying a faux treatment or wallpaper, these decorative treatments can be highly personal and deter potential buyers.

If selecting a new wall covering remain as neutral as possible, prospective buyers may have completely different decorating ideas from your own. If the home currently has wallpaper that is dated, or is overly bright and bold, it may be wise to remove it and repaint the walls in a neutral paint color. When preparing your home for the market, painting pros do not recommend hanging new wallpaper unless the wall's condition would benefit by it, (that is, wallpaper textures can help cover up minor flaws in the plaster and sheet rock). Avoid using sand or textured paints to repair damaged walls, as this will look as though you are trying to cover something. Have the walls repaired or skim-coated flat so they are ready to paint.

Sold

Staging has never been more important than in today's seller market and choosing paint colors may be crucial to obtaining an offer. Most paint and home improvement stores offer colors in coordinating palates to help select colors that are right for your home and dcor. The correct color palate can increase the marketability of your home and earn you a higher price when you're ready to make a move.

Tom loves to play pool and write about it too. See some of his material at Cheap Pool Table and Stovetop Popcorn.

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