The Many Shades that
will Sell Your House
With the real estate market back on the rise, you may be thinking about listing your home. Many people become overwhelmed with how they should spruce up their house before listing it. Experts say that one of the fastest ways to improve the presentation of your home is to repaint. Paint color is a low-cost, but effective way of showcasing your home to buyers. From my years of working with clients to prepare their homes for going on the market, I can tell you that it's not just that you need to repaint to freshen up your home, it's important to pick your paint colors carefully.
Neutral is key, but white is not necessarily the best choice. People immediately think when decorators suggest painting your house a neutral color, that they should just pick a shade of white and paint that all the way through the house. Avoid using stark white, which can make rooms feel sterile and does not highlight features, like large windows and fireplaces. Keep in mind that you’re not painting to satisfy your personal tastes and aesthetics, but to make your home universally desirable. Your goal here is to ‘'depersonalize” your home in order to make it seem like anyone could live there. In the years past, neutrals tend to lean very warm with yellow based undertones. The new popular neutrals are really a good mix of warm gray balanced with green undertones. So this undertone balance is fantastic because it will pretty much work with any color because it is truly a neutral. Unlike in the past where many of the neutrals tended to have a yellow appearance.
What finish should you use? If you have walls with many imperfections, select a flat or matte paint. You can usually get away with one coat of paint with a flat. The downside to this paint is that it does not stand up well to a good cleaning and does tend to show dirt more so choose this for rooms that will not get lots of fingerprints and dirt on them. Probably the most popular sheen is eggshell, which hides imperfections like a flat does but is easier to wash, so more durable and smoother to the touch. I recommend this for most rooms as it seems to have the best of both the flat and glossy worlds.
If you have limited funds and can't afford to paint the whole interior of your home, which rooms should you paint? First things first....if you have any strong colors used to create an accent wall, paint them the same color as the rest of the room. Multiple colors in one room can break up the space and not photograph as well in your listing. Next, spruce up your foyer. You only get one chance to make a first impression. Make sure the area is crisp and clean. You want to start off on the right foot with the buyer. Once you get the buyer in your house, we want to keep their interest. We all know that kitchens and bathrooms sell houses and that's the next place buyers look. Don't be scared to use a neutral that has a little more color to it in a bathroom. Also, make sure your kitchen looks as bright and open as possible. In rooms that you are not able to paint, make sure to clean any scuff marks off the wall and scrub the baseboards so they are bright and white.
So now that you have decided to paint, let me give you a list of some of the best and trendiest neutrals on the market today. Many of these colors tend to go towards a gray tone, but that is just because gray is the hot neutral trend for 2015.
Top Neutrals as listed on Houzz.com
Shale, by Benjamin Moore
Storm, by Benjamin Moore
Accessible Beige, by Sherwin Williams
Backdrop, by Sherwin Williams
Montpelier Ashlar Gray, by Valspar
French Grey, by Behr
Manhattan Mist, by Behr
Alexandra Beige, by Benjamin Moore
Repose Gray, by Sherwin Williams
Quiet Moments, by Benjamin Moore
Balboa Mist, by Benjamin Moore
Smoke, by Benjamin Moore
Nimbus Gray, by Benjamin Moore
Beach Glass, by Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl, by Benjamin Moore
Solitude, by Benjamin Moore
Moonshine, by Benjamin Moore
Alabaster, by Sherwin Williams
Written by: Debbie Fisk, Owner and Lead Decorator for DF Design. Debbie has been helping clients with decorating decisions for the past six years. She specializes in remodels and creating family friendly livable spaces. Her services include color consultations, space planning and furniture layouts, coordinating fixture selections and finishes for new construction and remodels and selection of decorating accessories. She has six years of experience overseeing and managing new construction and complete remodel projects. If you are interested in discussing a future project with Debbie, she can be reached at debbie.fisk@gmail.com or at 352-284-4135.
