To Paint Or Not To Paint

The single most cost effective way to prepare your home to list is with a fresh coat of paint. This works for two reasons.
1) A fresh coat of paint covers up the small scratches, dings and wear and tear that occur over the course of a family living in a home, it's natural, but it's not pretty. When you apply new paint, the home now has a fresh, well kept, well cared for appearance. It no longer looks or feels old or worn, and this is ideal.
2) New paint that is neutral and pleasing to most people allows a buyer to picture themselves living in the home. Bright, dark and too trendy colour choices are distracting to most buyers - have you ever noticed one of the most common comments on those real estate shows from buyers is about paint, and specifically, paint that they don't like. 

If you are preparing to sell and you think that it's too much work to paint your home, imagine how the buyers feel... they are contemplating making a huge purchase and right off the bat they see work that needs to be done. Do it for them and I guarantee you will have more successful showings.

If you don't want to paint because you believe that the buyer may not share your tastes in colour selection, pick a colour palette that is generally appealing to the majority of people, believe me, most of these buyers are watching real estate shows and have pinterest boards that are showcasing the relaxing neutrals that are timeless classics. If they have more wild tastes, it's much easier for them to get excited about painting an accent wall than painting the entire home.

Another important thing to consider is continuity through the home, painting each room and hallway a different colour is a poor choice as it makes the home feel broken up and compartmentalized. Buyers want open concept so carry a theme of 2-3 colours through the entire home and if you really want some variation choose another shade on the same chip so that you don't break up the flow.

If you are thinking of listing and want really expert advice I can align you with a local paint guru that will custom match a colour palette for you and your home based on everything from the architectural style to the flooring and even available natural light! I can attest to the prowess of this expert, he helped me choose the paint colours for the entire interior of my home plus the exterior colours as well. He is amazing!