Amy Krane Color
Popular “wisdom” says paint colors to sell your house should be warm neutrals. This has been the direction many paint color experts and Realtors alike have purported for years. They say don’t choose personal, idiosyncratic, boisterous colors and don’t paint it white. “Builder’s beige” had been a go-to for landlords and builders forever with colors like Benjamin Moore’s Linen White being used for rentals or new construction for decades. As a color consultant as well as a Realtor I say, “not so fast.” The choices are not so limited or rigid.
Ashton Woods
Paint colors that sell says Zillow
Zillow’s statistics regarding paint colors to sell your house which garnered more money for their homeowners in 2018 include a black or charcoal front door, navy or black kitchen islands with white cabinets, light blue bathrooms and light taupe living rooms. This is right on trend. Keeping some trends in mind when selling is not necessarily a bad thing IF your home’s style might appeal to millennials. Across the board adoption of this year’s colors has to be tempered by the idea that you’re looking not to offend. So if purple has been slated as Color of the Year by paint companies, skip it!
Amy Krane Color
Don’t use bright colors
While the goal is near universal appeal this doesn’t have to mean bland or boring. A color palette which emphasizes flow and cohesion will help sell a house. I make sure that’s a design principle I follow whether conducting an on-line paint color consultation or one in-person. Eliminating jarring color juxtapositions in the public spaces creates harmony that affects us on a visceral level. Your home doesn’t have to be 15 – 20 different paint colors. Repeat a few colors from room to room. Your color palette can show your personality but stay away from bright, highly saturated colors. They have a “stop you in your tracks” affect on most folks and it’s sure to be a turn off to more people than not.
Amy Krane Color
Respect the home’s architectural style
A color palette should also be appropriate for the architectural style of a house. While many advise not to use stark whites, in a modern house a white that’s cool or neutral will be more appropriate than a warm neutral or beige. Visual interest can be supplied by the decor, preventing a sterile atmosphere which is off putting.
Amy Krane Color
Soft colors
Generally speaking soft colors, meaning light, and/or muted tones is what most people find soothing and welcoming. Know there’s a portion of the population that find muted colors dirty though. But don’t get hung up with that. Trying to take the likes and dislikes of the general public in mind when you paint will have your head spinning. Soft blues, creams, grays, taupes have great appeal. What you’re looking to create is the appearance that the home is loved, well cared for, clean and fresh. Colors like pale pink, muted gray green, even navy, if used sparingly, won’t turn off buyers. The key is to keep the colors generally light to mid tone in value (lightness/darkness).
If your daughter insisted on a fuchsia bedroom or your son painted your rec room walls black these are the kind of colors I would repaint before putting the home up for sale. Use common sense combinations which work well together and create harmony in the home. This is my advice as both a Realtor and a paint color consultant.
