Painting is an easy and inexpensive home improvement project that can increase the value of your home. Whether you’re considering an interior painting project, changing up your kitchen’s color or going for a full exterior painting change, these makeovers can add big value to your home.
5 Ways Painting Increases the Value of Your Home
Whether it is the first time you’re selling your home, or you’re an old pro, finishing details can mean the difference of thousands of dollars on your asking and final selling price. For example, did you know that homeowners with a black painted door increase the price of their home by almost 2.9%? Even if you’ve loved your cheery yellow front door for years, this small change before you move is an affordable way to add hundreds–if not thousands–of dollars of value to your home.
Here are 5 other ways painting increases the value of your home.
1. Paint Your Home’s Exterior to Increase Curb Appeal
A 2015 study showed that homeowners who painted their home’s exterior received a 51% return on their initial investment. This fact might be reason enough for you to paint your home’s exterior, but there are many other reasons to do so, as well.
Paint is your home’s first line of defense against the elements. That means it takes a beating from the sun, rain, wind, heat and cold. While a great exterior paint job should last for a while, paint will fade or chip over time. If it’s been a while since you painted the exterior of your home, of if the paint on your home is peeling, cracked, or faded, it’s time to call in a professional for their exterior painting services.
Since you want buyers to fall in love with your home the minute they pull up to the curb, painting the exterior of your home can be a great way to boost your home’s curb appeal and value. A great exterior paint job also signals to buyers that your home is in good repair, and that they won’t have to invest money right away on upkeep.
If you’re worried about the cost of a full exterior paint upgrade, you might be able to get away with professional exterior wood repair and exterior wood trim painting instead. This is especially true if the main exterior paint is still in good shape, but you have a sagging porch or water damage around windows. Bonus: caulking, fixing peeling paint, replacing rotted wood on the exterior shows you kept your home protected while you lived in it. This sends a sub-conscious signal to the potential buyer that there won’t be terrible problems lurking beneath the surface.
Another way to brighten the exterior without a full paint job is powerwashing. Powerwashing all surfaces–like brick, stucco, hardie plank, stone and concrete–will clean up the exterior and add to the curb appeal. It will also remove dirt, dust and mildew and brighten up the place for a couple hundred dollars.
Or, think about the first thing a potential buyer touches at your home: the front door. A new coat of glossy paint that shines will give the first touch a wow factor. You might also consider a new coat of stain on your deck, fence, trellis. This step will make the wood more lively and give a “welcome home” feel for the buyer when they step into your backyard.
Updating the trim color can also be a great way to make your main house color pop in a newly beautiful and noticeable way. These smaller changes can mean more money in your pocket when you sell.
2. Paint Your Kitchen to Get the Most on Your Asking Price
Did you know your home’s price can literally dip by over $2,000 if your kitchen is painted red or other deeply saturated colors? According to the Zillow paint analysis study (and our own experience) “tuxedo kitchens”–kitchens with dark cabinets and white walls–are most attractive to home buyers. We also see homeowners have a good return on neutral or greige walls in kitchens.
The main thing to remember when you’re selling is that the colors you love when you’re living in your home aren’t necessarily the colors a potential buyer will love in your home. Returning your kitchen to a more neutral palette helps a buyer envision themselves in the space. A professional painter can consult with you on the right color choice, and can even repaint your cabinets, saving you the expense of a full kitchen renovation.
3. Paint Your Bedroom to Get a Better Return on Your Investment
Deep, restful bedroom colors are great for a good night’s sleep, but not as great for potential buyers. If your bedrooms (especially the master) are dark or boast saturated pops of color, it’s time to update. Have a professional painter return your bedroom walls to a soft grey or more neutral greige to entice potential buyers to spend more on your home.
Installing, painting or repainting trim in your bedroom can also add big value. It will make your bedroom look fresh, neat and clean, all things buyers are looking for when they peruse this important room.
4. Paint Your Bathroom to Increase Your Home’s Value
If you’ve kept your bathroom paint color white for a spa-like feel or used bolder or deeper colors, this might not help with your overall home’s value. in fact, according to Zillow’s paint color analysis, a light periwinkle blue or very light grey on your bathroom walls can increase your home’s value.
Both of these colors are great for bathrooms because other features and accessories–like trim, cabinets, plants or fluffy towels–tend to pop or stand out against these colors. These colors never feel overwhelming, only calm and relaxing. While white can look great in a bathroom, it can appear stark to a potential homebuyer. And, as we’ve established, bright colors or statement colors tend to be a turn-off to folks looking to buy.
5. Update Your Interior Paint Colors to Get More Value for Your Home
We’ve talked again and again in this article about how bold, bright or saturated paint colors tend to be off-putting to buyers. If your home has a lot of these colors, we recommend bringing in a professional painter to give your home’s interior a fresh, neutral coat of paint. Greige continues to be a color that potential home buyers love, as well as taupe with pink undertones.
Try to keep emotion out of it. Yes, your kid may love their bedroom superhero mural or you might love your super on-trend accent wall in your living room, but you want your buyer to envision what they would want on the walls. Neutral tones will help them see themselves in your space, which will lead them to make an offer.
If you are worried that some of your finishes are outdated, paint can help. Old dated cabinetry wood, bannisters and baseboards can be updated with bright white paint. This gives darker, worn or banged up wood a brand new modern look at a very inexpensive investment.
Buyers are better able to picture themselves and their furniture in a home where the walls fade into the background. While it might seem like a hassle to repaint your home’s interior before selling, it’s still a relatively inexpensive way to impress potential buyers.
Plus, you’ll get lots of other benefits of new paint in your home before you sell, such as:
- Lock in and seal odors (especially important if you cook a lot, have pets or are a smoker)
- Brighten up dingy walls
- Seal in and protect walls against dust and dirt
- Make smaller spaces feel bright and open
- Give homes (even older, historic ones) an updated, new or more modern vibe
Finally, interior painting will cover scuffs, dings, dents and trafficked areas, making it appear that you cared for and didn’t beat up your home. Potential buyers won’t feel like they’re walking into something they’ll need to put their own elbow grease into.
Painting Increases Home Value
The bottom line is, painting is a great way to turn an affordable home improvement project into big bucks. Plus, when you hire a professional for this project, they’ll not only finish quickly, they’ll make sure the project is perfect. Drips, streaks or an uneven finish due to DIY blunders can undermine your effort. So bring in a pro who can help you get the job done right and can even help you pick the right colors to appeal to potential buyers.
Professional Interior and Exterior Painting Services
Our interior and exterior paint experts are ready to help you tackle your painting projects before you list your home to sell. We provide exterior painting, interior painting, wood repair and trim painting to make your home look its very best. Contact us today for a free painting quote.