One thing I have noticed lately while showing and listing houses is Buyers like COLOR!
No longer are the neutral tones the best advice for someone putting their house on the market. My last buyer clients went under contract on a home with colors they fell in love with. This home was painted a soft yellow in most of the living areas and a pale blue in the master bedroom. They absolutely loved it.
Another home I recently listed which received multiple offers within a week had a vivid red/orange chair rail in the entry hallway! No longer am I telling sellers when I list the house to paint everything neutral. Neutral is OUT!
The Front Door is Very Important
Another interesting observation I have made is the importance of the front door color. I used to recommend red, always. Now with the hot weather, I am recommending painting the front door a soft shade of teal (greenish/blue).
Cool colors on the front door are very soothing. A buyer and their agent stand in front of the door for 30 seconds to a minute, waiting for the lockbox to open. Sometimes we even wait for someone to answer the door.
In these 100+ degree days a cool color can make all the difference in your perception of the home once you are inside. Here is a link to Kelly Moore Paint’s “Top Color Picks to Enliven Neutrals“.
So if you are thinking about selling your house on the market, don’t neutralize everything. Leave some color at least in accent walls. Consider happy lively colors in the living areas and soothing colors in the bedrooms and baths.
I recently flipped a house in 78751 (that gentrifying sliver between Airport and I-35), and was stunned to see it go under contract for full price in days. The secret, I think, was our cool color scheme. Photos: http://www.texashomesforsale.com/austin/central/home/5509-Bennett-Ave,-Austin,-TX-78751/4142692/photos
Thanks for sharing Robert. I love the exterior colors of your listing. Being staged and in great showing condition also helped your listing, I’m sure.
Great post, on our flip houses, we have always given a color splash to the inside and the front door. Thanks for the Kelly Moore link… I will be putting that to use!
can’t forget colored shutters!
Thanks Jason and Mandy. Glad I could help! Not all houses have shutters, but when they do it is nice to give them a little color also. Consider painting them the same color as the door. Maybe even a complimentary color. Have some fun!