Does Painting Your Home Increase Its Value?

We’ve all admired houses from our cars as we drive through various neighborhoods. Curb appeal is alive and well, which is why it’s so important to ensure your home stands out for the right reasons. Luckily, one of the best ways to up the value of your home, is also the easiest.

Chairwoman of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals, Jennie Norris, says “[Painting is] the least expensive investment for the biggest return”. And with a survey estimating the returns of interior painting at 107 percent ROI, and the exterior painting returns at 55 percent ROI, it seems painting really is the key to upping the value of your home.

As demonstrated, it’s not just the exterior painting work you should consider investing in. Painting the interior of your home to be more appealing to buyers will also increase your home’s value.

But how do you know what colors to be aware, and what mistakes should you avoid?

Exterior House Painting

1. Avoid Using Bright Colors

When you think of colored homes, you may conjure images of Charleston’s Rainbow Row, or the Copenhagen waterfront. But the truth is, these Pinterest-worthy neighborhoods are the exception, not the rule.

Bright homes are extremely reliant on personal taste, and while a hot pink home might have felt fun at the time, it is unlikely to appeal to all sides of the market. Instead, opt for a less vibrant paintwork and watch your home’s value rocket.

2. Be Aware of Your Home’s Architecture

The architecture and structure of your home should play a big part when choosing its paint color. Not only should you be accenting the main features of the building, but you should also be realistic about factors such as your neighbor’s homes and the design of your own. If you’re looking to up the value, you don’t want to paint your entire home black on an avenue of pastel houses. Similarly, if you have a victorian build, you should consider the victorian colors your home was built for.

3. Give Yellow a Wide Berth

Yes, yellow is the color of Spring and sunshine and buttercups. But it is also the color most likely to devalue your home. That’s right, a Zillow analysis found that homeowners looking to sell a yellow property can expect an average of $3500 less for a yellow painted exterior.

Interior House Painting

1. Prioritize which rooms need repainting

Before you think about color, you should consider which rooms you should be repainting to up your market value.

If you’re on a budget, the rooms you should prioritize are your bathrooms, kitchen, entryway and foyer, according to Christina Hoffman, concept manager ofHouseLogic.com.

The key reasons to ensure these areas are freshly painted, are for first impressions and for potential-buyers to know they won’t need to update the walls immediately. When people move into a property, they’ll usually paint the bedrooms followed by the living areas, as these are the places they can personalise the easiest, so these rooms don’t necessarily need to be top of your list.

2. Use warm, neutral colors

Just like with the exterior of your home, brighter colors tend to be to personal taste, rather than appealing universally. Neutral colors allow buyers to visualize themselves living in the property, and a fresh coat of paint means they don’t need to jump into redecorating their new home as soon as they move in.

Neutral colors have the added benefit of making smaller spaces feel better, creating an illusion of more space and will photograph better when putting the property online.

3. Understand what paint type you need

When you’ve decided on a room and color, it’s easy to jump straight into painting. But before you do, make sure you’ve researched which paint type you should be investing in.

For instance, satins and semi-gloss offer more durability and will make trims and doors easier to clean. However, a matte mantelpiece will bring the room together and accentuate its features. Meanwhile, a broad wall should be painted with a flat or egg-shell sheen to avoid accentuating unevenness.

The best way to avoid making these common mistakes and ensuring your home’s value is increased with its paintwork, is to hire a professional to do the painting for you. Texas Painting and Gutters know exactly what works and what doesn’t for all sorts of homes. With a friendly service and expert guidance, you can ensure painting your home will maximize its market value.