Owning a home comes with a great deal of responsibility, so it”™s natural to want your commitment to pay off when it comes time to selling it. People often feel that after years of maintaining their home, what they”™ve done already should be enough to please any buyer. Unfortunately, the real home maintenance is just beginning if you hope to sell your house at its maximum value. There are a multitude of ways to increase your home”™s value, but perhaps none are easier or more affordable than increasing your home”™s value using paint. A professional painting service can quickly boost your home”™s appeal and encourage buyers to submit offers that meet or exceed your ideal asking price.
Paint Your Home”™s Exterior
The first thing homebuyers are likely to see when researching potential homes is their exterior. Whether through online photos or in person, your home’s first impression needs to shine. By adding a fresh coat of paint, touching up existing paint, or even just cleaning your home”™s exterior to make a nice paint job more apparent, you can make sure buyers will see your home in a positive light.
If you can”™t sell your home, it won”™t matter what your asking price is. So to make sure your home stands out in the market, utilize bright, warm colors to make it more inviting. Also, try to highlight any detailed or unique designs visible on your home”™s exterior. For example, an intricate front door can be brought to life by accentuating the trim surrounding it. The more people are drawn in by the home”™s outward appearance, the more opportunity you have to impress them with the home”™s interior.
Focus Your Painting on High Traffic Areas
When deciding which rooms need to be painted before listing a home, focus on spaces likely to see high traffic. According to Consumer Reports, 53 percent of real estate professionals listed the kitchen among the most important rooms when showing a home to buyers, and 42 percent listed the bathroom. Trulia also includes the master bedroom in this list. To best utilize these rooms, revamp them with neutral colors. While some buyers may love a purple room, many will not, and it can seriously impact what they”™re willing to pay for the home. Kim Parten, a real estate agent based in Texas, echoes this in a statement to Consumer Reports. “I”™ve had homes not sell, or sell for less, because of purple bedrooms,” Parten says.
Colors that may seem bland will allow potential buyers to project their own visualizations on to the room. At this point in the selling process, it”™s no longer about what you would do to the home, but about what the buyer can envision doing.
Don”™t Neglect the Small Things
Because preparing a home for sale is such an undertaking, many people overlook the little things they can do to increase their home”™s value. In the living room, repainting or touching up trim is a great way to make sure the room is presented at its absolute best, while bathrooms and kitchens can both benefit from a new coat of paint on the cabinets. In the kitchen, especially, painted cabinets may accentuate appliances or other kitchen hardware, making the more valuable aspects of a kitchen shine.
While there is a large list of costly projects that can help your home reach its maximum market value, including remodeling your bathrooms and kitchen, none of them can be accomplished as quickly or nearly as economically as applying paint. If you”™re planning on listing your home for sale and think some fresh paint might be in order, give us a call. We can talk you through the costs associated with your job and help you determine whether or not you will see a good return on your investment.