Seller Tip: Fresh Paint Can Make a Difference
There are many factors that can affect the sale of your home. Many of these, like interest rates, number of buyers, and amount of competing inventory, are simply out of your control. There are, however, things that you can do to improve the chances your home will sell quickly—one of them is to give the place a fresh coat of paint.
A new interior paint job makes the house look both well-maintained and clean. A general rule is to stick with neutral or light colors—those seem to have the most appeal to buyers. If someone has smoked in the house, you should use a quality primer to cover smoke stains before painting.
If parts of your house have wallpaper, you should consider removing it—wallpaper is usually a matter of personal taste. Removal is usually fairly simple work, but can be tedious and incredibly hard, depending on how it was applied. Perhaps the easiest, most effective way is to use a wallpaper remover/steamer, a sponge, and a bucket of warm water, but there are other effective methods, as well.
You should consider painting the ceiling, as well, as buyers will be looking at it rather closely to search for signs of leaks and cracks. If you do have cracks, you can use fiberglass tape to cover them, then spread joint compound and sand well before painting.
If you have ceilings textured with asbestos-free material, you may want to scrape the popcorn off. It’s fairly sloppy work, and you’ll need to repaint when it’s done, but it will make a big difference. If you’re not sure if the popcorn on your ceiling has asbestos, you absolutely should get a sample and have it tested before attempting to remove it—you can find labs on the Internet.
It’s not just about the inside, either. Curb appeal is so important and the paint job plays a huge part in that. Even if the buyer has seen your home on the Internet and is familiar with some of the specifics, when she sees the house in person, the exterior will give her a first impression—one way or another.
If the house really needs a thorough exterior paint job, you may consider hiring professional help, particularly if you’re in a two-story home. If the house generally looks good, but could use a few touch-ups on the trim and gutters, spending a little cash to buy a couple cans of paint is a quick and inexpensive way to sharpen the appearance of the property.
It’s amazing what a difference a little paint can make—it can really freshen up the house and make it more pleasant and appealing to buyers.
Copyright 2009 TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
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