Paint can immediately change the feel of a space. The feel of your home is extremely important when you are opening your door to potential buyers. A clean, fresh looking space is always more appealing than a dark, dingy space. There are 5 spaces in your house you should always consider painting when you are selling your house.
5 Areas to Paint When Selling
Closets
Closets are often overlooked and I’m always surprised when people think the closet holds no importance. Don’t let the task of having to clean out your closet first deter you from getting the painting completed. A freshly painted closet always makes the space look better and appear to be bigger. Remember-selling your home is about the impression you give people. People think about hanging their clothes and storing their special belongings in closets, make it inviting!
Also, cleaning the closets out will allow you the opportunity to organize. A simplified and organized closet can immediately make a buyer think the house is well kept and can appear as though there is ample storage in the house. When you paint the walls it adds to this mindset. I suggest using white or an off-white for all closets. If the room is a dark color do not use that same dark color inside the closet, this will immediately make the closet look and feel smaller.
Ceilings
A clean, bright ceiling can improve the feel of an entire room. If the ceilings have a yellow cast, or any stains, I always suggest painting them. Also, take a moment to look at the previous paint job on the walls. If the previous ‘cut’ line along the ceiling is not straight (or perhaps there is even wall paint on the ceiling), painting just the ceiling can clean up all of that detail. When selling your house you might not need to paint every ceiling, but often can get away with painting a few ceilings here and there. One last consideration, if there are any water marks from a previous (and repaired!) leak you should paint the ceiling. Use a stain blocking primer first and then apply your ceiling paint. Skipping these ceilings will most likely allow for potential buyers to think there are leaks and concerns with your home.
Baseboards/Doors/Trim
Freshly painted woodwork is always appealing to the eye. You might not realize how scuffed up your woodwork was until you start to apply a new coat. Occasionally you can take this on in bits and pieces as well and not re-paint all your woodwork. In order to do a touch up here are two things to consider:
- You need the exact color of paint. If you have white woodwork you can not use just any ‘white’ and get a match. You can purchase a color match tool from Sherwin Williams or even take in a small piece of painted wood from your home and allow them to custom-match.
- Be sure you are using the same sheen. Too many times, I have seen homeowners use a flat ceiling paint to touch up their trim, this will not work! Likely your baseboard is a semi-gloss, but be sure to find a match before you start doing touch-ups.
Accent Walls
Get rid of any accent walls that might be distracting to a potential buyer. You want your space to feel approachable and customizable; sadly, this means removing a bit of your style and personality. If you have an accent wall that does not accomplish this then it needs to be changed. Some buyers cannot see past paint (even though paint is easy to change) so consider this when viewing your home from the buyer’s perspective. It is not a difficult task to repaint the accent wall so it matches the rest of the room.
Outdated Wallpaper
I tell homeowners all the time that wall paper is back in style, however, the prints and quality has changed dramatically. There is nothing that dates a house more than old and outdated wallpaper. Wallpaper can be a bear to remove, but your hardworking will surely pay off. Now, you might ask-can I just paint over the wallpaper? The short answer is-sometimes-but best practice would be to remove it, repair any damage and paint. You can get into a bit of a mess with priming wallpaper and ensuring that no seams lift up or bubble when you apply the paint.
Selling a home can seem like a bit of a process, but we are confident that these painting tips can help your home stand-out and be market ready!
