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Want the cheapest way to update your home?  A fresh coat of paint can do wonders.  Your walls and trim will probably get some wear and tear over the years.  Even if your paint is still in great shape, decorating trends change after a few years and you colors could be dated.  And that can sometime lead a buyer to go on down the road to a house that “looks good”–meaning more up-to-date color choices.

You’ve probably stood at the paint counter and looked at the hundreds of colors and thought, “How do I choose?”  Some stores now offer colors in small quantities so you can paint a test patch on your wall.  This option is better than trying to visualize the outcome by looking at a small color chip on a card.  But there is still a lot more of the original color on the wall than on your test patch.  The old paint color will influence how the new color looks.

You’ve probably heard that realtors suggest to pick “neutral colors” when getting ready to sell your house.  The problem is that there are thousands of shades of “neutral” colors.  And if you might have a “neutral” carpet that looks pink because the “neutral” you put on your wall had a red undertone to it.  If something like this happens, your “cheap update” can become expensive in a hurry.  It has been said that 40% of paint is purchased because the original purchase turned out to be the wrong shade.

It could be worth the money for you to hire a color consultant to help you make sure the “neutral” you get will not fight the other colors you have going on in the room: carpet, drapes, furniture, trim, etc.  I’m probably biased, but the most talented person I know for choosing color is Brenda Deeter.

Old wallpaper is a real turn-off for most buyers.  They not only are turned off by the look of the old wallpaper, they don’t want the prospect of having to remove it.  You probably don’t want to do it either.  But if you paint over it you can end up with a bigger mess than just stripping it in the first place.  It’s best to do the job right and get the old wallpaper down, repair the walls, and prime and paint.  If you don’t want to do it yourself, give me a call & I can refer you to somone who does a good job.

Wood paneling is another turn-off to buyers.  It’s best to paint it or remove it.  When painting over paneling, be sure to get a good stain-blocking primer on it first.  Ask at the paint counter for the best products to use.

Planning on doing it yourself?  Take some time to review a how-to website or book.  Products change and improve.  Most people think painting is easy.  Half-way through the project they usually remember that it’s harder then it looks.  So swallow your pride and look over tips on how to make the job easier.  There’s a reason that professional painters go to school to learn the trade.

When you’re finished, your house will be ready to put its best face forward for that right buyer to fall in love with.