Tips on painting for resale

One of the simplest and least expensive things you can do to raise the perceived value of your home is to paint it. This is especially true when you are looking to sell your house. A fresh coat of paint will give your house a clean look and feel, and well as hide any blemishes that could make a buyer suspicious of possible problems.

The cost of painting your home for resale can range greatly depending upon whether you hire professionals or decide to paint it yourself. When making the decision as to whether you should paint or hire a painter, you should consider what is safest for you to do. Ideally, it makes sense to get someone with experience painting on a ladder or scaffold to do the high areas, and you, yourself, can do the lower areas. Being that most houses have a great deal of out of reach places to paint, a professional should be hired. For the interior of the house, a professional should be used for any two-story areas, while the homeowner can do the rest. It can be foolish to put yourself in danger to save a few dollars.

The most important part of the process of painting is to prep the areas that will be painted. First, you need to wash any dirt and grime from the area. Second, you need to remove any peeling paint. Third, you should putty or fix any holes or cracks. Finally, prime the walls if necessary, and then paint. Proper surface preparation will make your paint job last longer, while improper paint preparation will stand out and give the impression that you are careless, and possibly trying to hide something under a hasty paint job.

In addition to proper preparation before painting, choosing the right type of paint will also make a difference in the final product. For the interior of your home, you will want to purchase a paint that hides imperfections in the walls should they exist. Interior flat paints do the best job at creating the illusion of a smooth surface. However, be careful to choose flat paints that are also scrubbable so that your painted surface can be kept clean for your prospective buyers. With new paint products being added to the market every year, the best advice for the purchase of exterior paint is to do your homework. Purchase the very best paint you can afford for your region, weather conditions, and building materials.

The final, and in many cases, the most important decision you will have to make when painting your home for resale is your paint colors. You want to create a palate that anyone will be able to move into and insert their own furnishings without making too many changes. Therefore, you really must keep it neutral.

Painting the interior of a house in neutral colors does not mean you must paint everything a stark white, however, and live with sunglasses on until your home sells. Painting everything in white is actually a bad idea. You do not want the house to seem stark and sterile; you will want it to feel warm and comfortable. The only time you want to paint white is when the house is very old. This will give the home more youthful, clean and crisp appearance. Even then, do not use stark white. Use an antique white with pure white gloss trim.

For the exterior of the house, you need to choose a color that does not clash with the other colors in the neighborhood. Although you want your house to be noticed, you do not want it to attract negative attention. Nothing would be worse than having your neighbors circling your yard with picket signs on the day of your open house. If your neighbor's houses are soft natural colors, then cobalt blue is probably a poor color choice for your home. If everyone has a bright color, then it might be a bad idea to paint your home dark brown. Instead of having your house stand out because it does not harmonize with the neighborhood, have it stand out because the new paint job makes it look like the most clean and well kept house on the street.

Other tips you can use when painting your house for resale:

• Paint the front door yellow to make prospective buyers feel welcome.

• Lighter colors make the house look larger.

• If you only have time and money to paint one area, choose the door, and entry area of the house to give a good first impression.

• Paint traditional houses traditional colors.

• If you still feel the house calls for bolder colors, tone them down by adding gray.

• Avoid red, bright yellow, bold blue or emerald green. These colors can date a house, or turn off people who do not like bold colors.