Tuesday, 22nd of April 2008 at 12:37:21 PMIf you live in your home long enough, and decorate it to your own tastes, your house will inevitably reflect your personality. This is wonderful when you’re living in your home, but may not work to your advantage when you are selling it. One of the steps in preparing your house for sale is to make the space more neutral in order to appeal to the largest number of potential buyers. Using neutral colors and décor styles is a great way of showing prospective buyers the potential of the space itself and allows them to envision making the place their own. You definitely want prospective buyers to see the house you’re trying to sell as their own. This is because allowing them to imagine living in the house will help them establish an emotional connection with the property, and people will pay more for a property they feel is ‘just right for them’.
One of the most obvious ways to tone down your color schemes is with paint. Also, it is one of the best ways to make your house look clean and new on the inside, and is fairly inexpensive. Neutral colors don’t necessarily mean white. Light grays, warm creams and accents of brown all make for a ‘designer’ look without imposing a particular style. Currently two-tone painting is very popular; for example, painting a light tan on the walls and painting the trim and doors white. If you don’t have the time or the inclination to paint your entire house, paint some of your most lived in rooms such as the master bedroom, the dining room and the living room. Be sure to do an excellent paint job, and allow plenty of time for the paint to dry before your next buyer does a tour.
Furniture should also be neutral. You may need to put non-neutral furniture into storage and borrow, buy or rent furniture to put in its place. Although your super modern bright red couch is the conversation piece that all your friends seem to love, it will more than likely detract from your house itself which is the true product you’re trying to showcase. Leave the touches of color for the accessories throughout the home. To avoid the hassle of redesigning your house, you can hire professionals to complete the home staging for you. There are numerous reputable companies who will come into your home and arrange furniture and accessories for you in a way that suits the space. These people have an excellent understanding of how to maximize the attractiveness of your spaces and make them more appealing to your buying demographic. Not surprisingly, they often choose neutral colored furniture.
Although having your house professionally staged is an additional cost, statistics show that your investment is usually returned to you 3-fold. Most home staging companies have a variety of service packages depending on if you would like to do some of the work yourself. If this investment is just out of the question, and you don’t have the resources to buy some new furniture and store your old furniture, a home staging professional can help you create the illusion of more neutral furniture by adding neutral colored throws, pillows and accents.
There is also a possibility of being too neutral. Although choosing colors and items that will appeal to most buyers will increase your prospective market base, being too neutral can make you’re house blend in too much with the competition. Having small accents of color is important to break the monotony of a too neutral pallet. You want to stay away from the ultra dramatic and stick to neutral items while adding one or two punches of popular colors to distinguish yourself from the competition.
Last but not least, don’t forget your outdoor spaces. The only bright colors on the outside of your house should be flowers. To spruce up your outdoor living spaces and add interest without detracting from the features of your house, purchase some pretty plants in large pots to add simple greenery and some white blooms. Replace your doormat with a new one that says “welcome” and is a neutral color.
When in doubt, throughout your house, pick colors that everyone likes. Keep your own personality in check while you prepare your current house for sale and try to create a sense of universal appeal. After all, with any luck, you won’t be living there for much longer and can soon move on to putting your personal touches in your new home.
To learn more, check out my website. For a report on common neutral colors, sign-up at Virtual Enriching Homes.
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As someone that has never been a real estate agent, I’ve never understood the universal mantra of “neutral colors”. And then in the same breath you get the good old “location, location, location”. Every time that I’ve looked at homes to buy, I can’t remember ever getting bent out of shape over an obnoxious color on the walls. The location, layout, and other features will all be considered long before I worry about paint (which I will almost always do first thing, neutral or not). Give me hardwood and marble and I’ll paint over the lime green myself. Just don’t put in colored tile, that’s not so easy to change.
John, you are one of the few buyers that can truly look past distractions and see the potential in homes…you may want to consider being a real estate investor if you are not already. Statistics show that up to 94% of buyers can’t see the full potential of a home. Paint color is one of many things that can affect buyers both consciously and subconsciously and basically help determine whether they will emotionally connect with the home and want to make an offer. Many buyers don’t want the hassle of repainting (although as you pointed out, it is one of the easier things to remedy in a home) or want a significant discount on the home to deal with that perceived problem. Thanks for the post! Kellie
What percent of home buyers would you say want more neutral colors compared to let’s say mocca rose in a bedroom/bathroom or light pink in a large family room?
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