If you are asking the question; should you paint your house before selling, it is probable that it does need a coat of paint before you put it on the market.
You should paint your house before selling, which includes painting the front door, windows and any outside render for a first good impression and paint the interior of your house too. A fresh coat of paint sets a house off well and will make it look loved, plus the rooms will look bright and airy.
Painting doesn’t cost very much and it could be one of the best things you do. In fact it could be one of the best returns on money spent in terms of what this will add to your house value. But also a freshly painted house will sell much faster too.
You may also find that some walls in your house have hairline cracks and marks on the wall. I recommend you fill the cracks before painting the walls, but you may be able to clean the walls instead of painting in some cases. But if you’ve recently painted, and if you have some paint left, try filling the cracks and paint the cracked area only. If the paint isn’t too old, and if the walls aren’t too grubby, this will work just as well as painting the whole room.
If time or money is constrained, paint the front of your house first as this is what buyers will see first. Many homebuyers make a decision in their minds whether the house is right for them as soon as they arrive at the front of the property. Some people will even drive past and not keep to their appoitment if they don’t like what they see from the outside.
It is therefore in your best interest to make that first impression count, and any render that needs painting will not create good curb appeal.
Paint the rear of your house
If you have the time and if you are not constrained on budget, you should also paint the rear of your house too. This includes your back door, the windows and any outside render too.
Paint the front door of your house
Simple things like painting the front door will make a big difference to the look of your house. A newly painted front door can make the difference between a quick sale or not. When you paint the front door choose a bright bold colour, as this will give a great first impression.
I go into more detail on how to make a good first impression and creating great curb appeal in my online video course.
All rooms in your house should be given a fresh coat of paint. Keep the colours light and neutral to help the rooms look brighter and bigger. Keep in mind that once your house is on the market it is in transition to be owned by a new buyer, and they may not like your taste of dark strong colours, so keep it neutral.
Over-paint wall paper instead of replacing it
If you have wall paper in your house, and especially if it’s dated or very bold in design and colour, give it a coat of light neutral coloured paint.
Paint the doors of your kitchen
A great way to update and modernise a kitchen on a budget is to paint the cupboard doors in your kitchen. Paint your kitchen cabinet doors with an up to date colour and use a light colour to freshen up your kitchen to make it look clean. This will make your kitchen cabinets look new.
Paint interior doors
It’s always a good idea to give your interior doors a fresh coat of paint, especially if you’ve painted the walls. Newly painted doors will look new and buyers will feel they are moving into a house that requires little to no work.
Paint the skirting boards
If you’ve painted the walls of each room and the doors too, don’t forget to paint your skirting boards as this will standout as unfinished otherwise.
Does painting a house add value?
Painting your house will add value and if you paint both the exterior and interior before you sell this is when the most value is added. The return on investment (ROI) from painting your house is very high as the cost of paint is low, and if you paint the house yourself the ROI will be even higher.
Final thoughts on should I paint my house before selling
You may get away with not painting if the property market is strong and where there’s a lack of properties for sale. People are much more forgiving if they cannot find the perfect property, as long as it’s at the right price and in the right location of their preference.
Having said that, if you want to sell your house for that little bit more money, or if the property market has slowed down, or if the rooms are painting in very dark strong colours, you should definitely think about painting before you sell. A home with clean fresh décor is much more appealing than one which looks tired needs freshening up.
The other thing to consider is that some buyers that see cracks in walls and shoddy paintwork may worry what else could be wrong with the house. Finally, think about it that you want your buyers to see themselves in your house. The better it is, the more offers you’ll get.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this article about should I paint my house before selling
If you’ve enjoyed this article about “should I paint my house before selling ” please share it on your favourite social media site.
Also, if you have any questions, please feel free to comment below too. Please also share any of your experiences with properties you’ve bought. Alternatively, if you need more help, please feel free to contact us on our contact us page here. Or join the discussion and ask your question in the property forum.
Should I Paint My House Before Selling
Related Posts:
What Not To Fix When Selling A House What Not To Fix When Selling A House: When selling your house don't waste money on replacing old appliances, unless they look totally out of place alongside the fixes and…
Things To Do Before Selling House What should I do to my house before selling: In order of priority the things to do when selling your house include focusing on curb appeal and first impressions of…
How To Hide Damp From A Surveyor (Over Paint & Cover… Attempting to hide damp from a surveyor won't work, especially if you sell your house to a person requiring a mortgage. Their mortgage company will insist on a survey and…
Top 7 Reasons Houses Don't Sell (You Must Read This) The reasons houses don't sell starts with marketing it at an unrealistic asking price. But also if your house isn't selling could be down to a bad first impression. But…
Article written by Russell Bowyer who has been investing in property since purchasing his first commercial property in the 1990's for his own Chartered Accountancy business. But his first property investment project was to turn an old dilapidated restaurant into a large 5-bed home, which he purchased for £117,500 and sold for £450,000 (to see an "after" photo of the house before it was sold see here: About). Russell owns a number of investment properties, which includes houses, flats and HMO's. More recently he has turned his creative side to investing in property using lease options. His largest lease option deal to date was to acquire 12 properties worth over £2 million for just £12, which means he paid just £1 to acquire each property!
