DFW Real Estate Articles: 2008
$300 / Gallon Paint
© by Mike Stevenson
Can you sell my home? It's a common question for a real estate professional. The answer depends on whether the homeowner (seller) is going to cooperate by making the house both available and sellable. By sellable, I mean a fair market price and a marketable appearance. At the intersection of "Price and Appearance" lies a valuable commodity... paint. This lovely liquid magnifies both the price and appearance of a home. I believe it's safe to estimate that well-chosen paint will increase the sales price of an average house by $300 for every gallon
of paint that's correctly applied. If you do the painting yourself, you'll realize a nice profit and
a faster sale of your home. Here are some basics to consider when it comes to painting for profit:
Give unto Others
When selling, don't choose paint for yourself... paint for "the masses". You don't know what others may have in mind for their decor, so you should try to make the paint colors easy to work around. It would be a mistake to paint ANY room a bright color no matter how "pretty" you think it looks. You should try for neutral colors so that any potential buyer can love the house – without loving teal green!
Street Smarts
Most buyers today will have looked at houses on the Internet and even driven-by potential neighborhoods before they decide to narrow their choices. Your home must "beckon to them" from the curb as they pass by. The condition of the exterior paint and the painted surfaces around the front door will likely get you on... or off... the short-list.
The Bare Minimum
Your home should be "showroom fresh" on the very first day it goes on the market. If time is of the essence, at least do the following:
- Touch-up any problem painted surfaces with matching paint. Especially important are the areas that potential buyers are likely to see up-close! This includes the front door, foyer area, the kitchen and any areas that you're "selling" as attractive features.
- Carefully paint the front door and the doorframe. This entry is the first place our prospects will see closely... don't disappoint them here.
- Touch-up chipped paint on corners of walls and gently wash soiled areas around light-switches; do the same on any other questionable places you may notice.
More the Merrier
Every room that is freshly painted will do wonders for you when selling your home. The odor of fresh paint is a pleasant aroma to a prospective buyer. The clean, bright look of freshly-painted rooms will get you more than just "brownie points"... it will help to get you a much faster sale and a reasonably higher price.
A gallon of latex paint will cover about 300-400 square feet. That's about the size of an 11' x 15' room. If you use any color darker than "white"... paint the ceiling the same color as the walls. When you consider that you're increasing the sale value of your home by about $300 per gallon of (correctly applied) paint, the only question left to ask is...
How many of those $300 checks would you like to receive?
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