PREPARING TO SELL YOUR HOME: PART 1: FRESH INTERIOR PAINT
One of the biggest mistakes a homeowner can make is to list their home without preparing to do so. Any lived in home has wear and tear that occurs, and most homeowners lag on home maintenance and keeping things up to date. Doing those things in advance of listing can mean that your property sells more quickly as well as for more money.
Before listing your home you should definitely take a walk through your home and look for everything that needs refreshing, fixed or redone, and consider asking someone who isn’t as familiar with you to do the walkthrough as well.
A fresh set of eyes can pick up on things that you just don’t “see” anymore. Over the coming days I’ll be sharing my own thoughts on preparing your home for selling, starting with one of the simplest ways to increase your home’s marketing appeal, and that is with a coat of fresh paint.
Part I – Fresh Interior Paint
Many people wonder if they really need to paint their house before listing it to sell. Before deciding, my advice is to ask yourself these questions:
Yours vs Theirs
Did you hang any pictures on the walls with nails? Are there holes in the wall or patches on the wall that haven’t been fixed and painted over?
If so, a fresh coat of paint is definitely in order. Potential buyers like to see your home as a fresh palette to start with, and don’t want to have to hang their artwork where yours was just to cover the holes in the wall.
Simply color palettes before listing with fresh paint
Is there more than one color on the walls of your house (not including white)? Do you have colorful accent walls? I do recommend painting key living spaces in a more monochromatic theme to help buyers envision living in the space and making it their own.
Time flies when you don’t want to paint
If you’ve lived in the home for over five years, if it’s been three or more years since you have painted or if you smoke AT ALL, then get out those brushes. Painting is one of the least expensive ways to prepare your home for selling, and it’s also one item on the presell checklist that homeowner’s can often do themselves, if they’d like.
Stay tuned for Part II in this series about preparing your home for listing, exterior paint.
Cheers,
Trent
GET TO KNOW
When I’m not working tirelessly for clients, I’m spending time with my wife Angie and our two kids Amanda and Kevin. We’ve been residents of the Rockford, Minnesota, area for more than 12 years and know the surrounding area well. We even built our own house there. Before moving to Rockford, Angie and I were first-time homeowners for 8 years in Crystal, Minnesota.
Realtor®, Keller Williams Integrity Northwest
I am here to answer any questions you may have about buying or selling a home. Please feel free to reach out to me via the bottom below, or call me at 612-310-4770 with questions or to chat. I look forward to talking with you.
“Every client I have ever sent to Trent has loved him. Great communication and Professional Service. Thanks Trent, keep it up.”
LEE ROGGENKAMP