Should you consider painting your home before selling it?

Making the decision to sell your home is only the first step in a multi-step process. Unless your home is in immaculate condition, you will probably need to make some improvements in order to get top dollar for it. In some cases, those decisions are easy to make because the defects are obvious, and the fixes are relatively inexpensive. However, other decisions are not so obvious. One such decision is whether to paint your home inside and out. To help you make that decision, here are 10 reasons why you should consider painting your home before selling it:

1. Affordability of paint

It has already been established that home improvements may be necessary in order to sell your home for top dollar. Realtors and home improvement experts often recommend such things as kitchen renovations and bathroom makeovers. However, projects of that nature can be extremely expensive and may not prove to be cost effective. On the other hand, painting a home is relatively inexpensive and will provide one of the best cost-benefit ratios of any home improvement project. This is especially true when you hire a professional residential painter to do the job for you.

2. Increased home value

In addition to being relatively inexpensive, painting your home will add considerable value. On an average basis, it can increase the price of your home by as much as $6,000 or more. Most realtors are aware of this fact and recommended painting a home in order to increase its resale value. To get top value out of painting your home, though, you should hire a professional exterior painting contractor who can make your home look its best.

3. Better ad copy

In today’s digital world, most potential homebuyers will begin their home buying experience with an online search. Because social media users routinely scan through a large number of images looking for one that catches their attention, they will skip right by the image of your home unless it is eye-catching. A nice looking paint job is vital in that regard. It will help to pull in a homebuyer long enough to get them to look at the specs and potentially schedule a showing.

4. More curb appeal

There’s an old saying that you only get one chance to make a good first impression. That is also true for your home. When a prospective homebuyer pulls up in front of your home to take a look, your home’s curb appeal could be the deciding factor on whether they make an appointment to see it or not. If the exterior of your home needs painting, buyers will simply go on to the next listing. However, you will be able to improve your home’s curb appeal enough to draw in prospective buyers if you have your house painted by a professional exterior painting contractor.

5. Updated appearance

Repainting your home will give you the opportunity to update its exterior colors. If the color scheme of your home is out of date, you can bring it into the new decade by painting it a modern color. You will also have a chance to make sure that your home's color scheme is compatible with other homes in the area. You may also be able to use specific trim colors that are known to draw in potential buyers. If you are careful about how you do this, you can give the exterior of your home a “Hilton Head SC” look.

6. Move-in ready

Most homebuyers want a home that is clean and move-in ready. They do not want to buy a fixer-upper that they have to spend additional money on. In most cases, they do not want to make any improvements at all. If you hire a home painter to give your home a fresh coat of paint on both the inside and outside, you are one step closer to making it move-in ready. Not only will a fresh paint job cover up dull paint, but it will also cover up many unpleasant odors.

7. New look

Most rooms in a home simply consist of four walls, a ceiling and a floor. Painting the walls can make a room look brand new, especially if the job is done by a professional contractor who provides interior house painting services. In fact, if you have the ceiling and walls painted and replace the carpet, it is almost impossible to distinguish between a new room and a repainted one.

8. Brighter rooms

Freshly painted rooms not only look newer, but they are also brighter. This is especially true if you hire a residential painter who can do a professional job on your ceilings. Homeowners are often amazed at how much brighter a freshly painted room looks because they didn’t realize that the walls were slightly dingy or that the ceiling paint had become dull. Additionally, the type of sheen you choose can affect the brightness of your rooms.

9. Neutral colors

You may have some rooms with bright colors or accent walls painted in a contrasting color. Perhaps you painted a nursery dark blue or your daughter’s room bright pink. While that was appropriate at the time and worked well for your family, most potential homebuyers would prefer neutral colors. This allows them to visualize their furniture in the room with no incompatibility problems. If you need to eliminate some bold colors, a painter who provides interior house painting services could convert some or all of your walls to neutral colors.

10. Better comparison

When your home has been freshly painted, it will compare better to other homes that are for sale. Because the process is inexpensive, you can keep your asking price relatively low. However, other homeowners who have invested a lot of money into major home improvement projects will have to increase their asking price just to remain whole. This will give you an edge over your competition.

Summary

If you have decided to sell your home this year, you will want to make sure that you can get as much money for it as you can. In many cases, you may have to make some improvements in order to do that. While such things as kitchen and bathroom makeovers are attractive, they are expensive. Painting your home, on the other hand, is relatively inexpensive and can make your home sell much faster and at a higher price. If you would like to know more about color schemes, prices and schedules, give us a call today at Colorworks Painting & Designs, and we will be glad to discuss your painting project with you.