Real Estate Savvy with Jillian: Color Your World…Just Not That Color!

Real Estate Savvy with Jillian

By: Jillian A. Mills, REALTOR®

Paint. It seems a fairly straightforward topic when considering painting your home. But, is it? The answer lies in what you plan to do with your home and whether or not you’re painting the interior or exterior. Let’s start with the interior. If your favorite color is something you feel you need on your walls and that color happens to be a striking color like red or purple, for example, consider painting just one wall versus an entire room. Painting a room entirely with a bold color can overwhelm the space, detract from items in the room and sometimes even make the room appear significantly smaller. Because of this, many homeowners opt for an accent wall. Choosing one wall to feature your chosen color while maintaining something neutral on the remaining walls allows you the pleasure of your beloved hue without allowing it to overpower the space.

There’s one caveat to adorning your walls with your most tantalizing tint. The question that must be answered before your dip your roller in that paint tray is whether or not you plan on selling your house in the near future. While a fresh coat of paint does tend to spruce up spaces, everyone has their own ideas about color. That royal blue may be your heart’s desire; but, it could be very off-putting to a buyer – even on an accent wall. Your safest bet when selling is: neutral.

Exterior paint involves other considerations. Presuming you’re not in a subdivision with an HOA or other governing authority that limits your choices, there are still a few things to mull. While you may not be bothered by repainting an interior room, painting the outside of your home can be a little more daunting. Depending on weather conditions, quality of paint and other factors, your exterior likely only needs repainting every seven to ten years. With some materials, such as cement fiberboard, it may only need a fresh coat every 10-15 years. With this in mind, painting a non-conventional color becomes a bigger issue. Are you willing to assume the task and or expense of repainting to something neutral should you decide to sell – regardless of the paint’s current integrity?

Finally, if you will be selling, make sure to consult your real estate agent prior to taking on costly or laborious tasks -including painting. “Improvements” don’t always equal a higher selling price. Much can depend on the cost of the project, the market, the location of the home and more. Your agent can help you to understand what may add value to your particular home.

But, if you’ve just got that itch for change, paint is a relatively inexpensive way to give your home a facelift and help you to enjoy it even more. So, go for it! Spread those drop cloths, grab your brushes and start transforming your space. Happy painting!

Real estate questions? Reach out…I’m here to help! #justaskjillian