An Interior Guide for Homes on the Market

As soon as the harsh winter weather begins to subside, more open houses and “for sale” signs start to pop up in nearly every neighborhood. For people looking to sell their homes, there’s a good chance that a relator has advised them to paint the interior. Not only can it be more appealing to potential buyers, but it can also increase the value of a home with only a minimal investment.

Everyone knows that colors can be subjective. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder…or at least that’s what we’ve been told. But have you ever caught a few minutes of a house hunting show? It’s interesting when people get hung up on various interior colors in what otherwise seem like ideal homes based on their wants/needs. Unfortunately, this happens in real life quite often. So it’s best to play it safe and cater interior colors to potential buyers.

Paint for a Fresh Start

While some bold, wild or otherwise non-traditional paint colors added a great deal of personality to a home, the goal is to make a home seem as impersonal as possible. This helps buyers envision the home as somewhat of a blank canvas, allowing them to picture what touches they want to add. When they see a powerful color, they are immediately seeing a project, which almost translates to a repair in their mind.

Sellers will want to aim for an overall neutral color palette to appeal to the widest array of buyers, making it extremely market friendly. For example, warm beiges and yellows are great selections to paint living rooms, family rooms and dining areas. Other rooms will follow the same formula of dark and light, so sellers should use their intuition and stick to some less impactful neutral colors. While it’s impossible to read buyer’s minds, following this format will generally be safe from interior colors that are absolute deal breakers.

Important Notes

Contrary to popular belief, sellers are urged to avoid white interiors. I’ve mentioned in previous blogs how white can be mundane, bleak and just plain unwelcoming. Additionally, it registers more as a bright color than a neutral color. Instead, choose an extremely soft blue paint or something with a light hue depending on the room.

Lastly, (and perhaps most importantly) repainting rooms will offer homeowners one last up-close look at their interiors and allow them to repair any dings or imperfections that may be hiding behind furniture. Updating the look to create “move-in-ready” environment is one tactic that will likely give sellers a significant advantage in the marketplace.