According to a RE/MAX agent and interior design specialist, Jeannie Do, a home’s color palette can make a significant impact on prospective buyers. Here’s why.
Using color throughout a home can be expressive, creative, and hold cultural significance. But what happens to that level of personalization when it’s time to sell?
According to our design specialist, homeowners preparing a property to sell need to look past their own emotional connection to color and focus on what changes – like a fresh coat of paint – can elevate their home’s overall aesthetic, appeal to buyers, and potentially increase ROI.
Reconsidering bright colors –
Colors used to express yourself can oftentimes be a reflection of your personality, mindset, and values. For instance, in many Asian households, you may see the color red because it represents good fortune and is very auspicious. Red is a color of high energy and it can relate to the dynamic of Asian families who cherish their extended family and host lively gatherings altogether.
Red is typically a color we would avoid in home staging because it’s seen as a statement color.
Many home stagers agree that while color is a great way to be expressive while living in a space, it’s often best to eliminate brighter shades when preparing a home to sell in order to appeal to more buyers.
When it’s time to sell, you should aim to remove yourself from the house and make it a blank slate – almost like an art gallery. Galleries usually have white walls because it allows the art to shine without making an impression on it. Setting up your house as a neutral gallery for the buyer to see as their next piece of art, says our design specialist.
Aligning with trends –
While neutral paint colors are typically timeless, there can be a place for brighter colors to stay up or be added in when preparing a home to sell. If the seller’s goal is to match their home with current design trends, like around mid-century modern style, for example, then in-theme colors may be embraced by prospective buyers.
Homes vary in size, have unique layouts and receive different quantities of natural light, thus requiring different shades and undertones of paint even within one color family. All of this needs to be considered when choosing paint colors.
Consumer preferences also have a longstanding history of mirroring societal trends. While cooler grays were preferred for a period of time, warmer neutrals are rising in popularity.
Because of the change in lifestyle due to COVID-19 in the last couple of years, people are actually starting to favor warmer tones for their mood-boosting and comforting effects. It’s all about psychology. Because people are so uncertain about what’s happening in the world, they want to come home to a place that makes them feel safe.
Creating a synchronized space –
Wall color surely sets a backdrop. But the rest of the elements within a home’s interior have to align to create a space that buyers can envision themselves and their families living in.
Your furniture and décor pieces have to be cohesive with the wall color. If you have really modern furniture but dated wall colors, the interior can feel disconnected. It’s harder for buyers to picture how they would personalize, furnish, and decorate the home when it doesn’t feel natural.
Sometimes it’s not in the budget to make big changes to a home before listing it on the market. In addition to decluttering the space, there are a few other tricks for staging with existing items within the home.
Lighting and window treatments are a relatively easy way to elevate a space. It can even be as simple as moving your curtains all the way up to the ceiling to visually elongate the walls and make the ceiling seem higher. Bring in as much natural light as you can. In smaller spaces, consider swapping out heavier curtains for ones that are sheer to really optimize sunlight.
A qualified seller’s agent will have insight onto the local housing market, have seen comparable properties, and can provide further suggestions to help prep a home to sell.
When it’s time to sell, just keep in mind that you’re trying to appeal to other’s tastes, not your own. Getting rid of personalization and loud wall colors can help the process move along much smoother and attract more buyers along the way.
Article information from Jeannie Do, an agent and member of the International Group with RE/MAX Professional in Lakewood, CO. She holds a BFA degree in Interior Design.
In Appreciation,
Marie Dinsmore
Experience, Passion, and Excellence
