House paint colours – whether interior or exterior are critical considerations.

House paint colours, whether interior or exterior are a critical consideration when preparing a home for sale. I remember when the colour ‘neutral’ was all the rage. This led to thousands upon thousands of properties being painted in shades of grey or beige. Fortunately times have moved forward since then.

The reason why house paint colours are so important is primarily due to purchasing a home is an emotional decision. People want to feel something about the property. Buyers rarely buy because the place is nice. If a prospective buyer gave me feedback about a property using that word I would not place them to the top of my prospect list. This does not give you a license to go crazy. It just means that your colour schemes and paint choice need to be good and have to compliment the place according to its style.

If people can see that the property has been well maintained they will be happy to buy it, all else being equal. In that context, if they dislike the house paint colours, it will get them thinking about how they would live in the house and what colours they would prefer and what expense they may incur.

Children’s rooms should be colourful and fun whereas a formal dining room in a period-style home for example could work well with darker colours. The one place where it is generally best to have a more conservative approach to colour schemes is the front exterior, except when the property is ultra-modern.

Ideally you should get some professional advice. There are lots of good house paint colours readily available from paint shops and the people manning these are great for advice. Remember, they will know what the most popular trending colour schemes are. The key is to ensure the house paint colours match &/or complement each other. It is far easier to succeed if the colours are relatively light, like with shades of white whereas it takes real decorating skill to get darker colours or feature walls to work harmoniously.

The previous property I owned was a single fronted Victorian. When I purchased it the internal cornices were highlighted in a different colour. This was ‘nice’ however my aim was to modernise the interior. The best way I achieved this transition whilst minimising the costs associated was to ‘paint out’ these colours. I painted the walls, cornicing and ceilings the same white using a low or semi sheen on the walls and a flat finish on the ceilings and cornices. The skirting boards were painted in half strength of this colour using a semi-gloss finish.

Take into account colours will appear much darker on a whole wall than on a swatch. It’s generally best to lighten colours as you go up. Internally this means white for the ceilings and above picture rails if you have them. It helps provide a sense of space. Externally you may choose a darker colour around the base but have lighter walls. Windows and door trims can contrast either in white or something dark or using a half strength or quarter strength shade of the main colour in a gloss finish. If in doubt it pays seek professional advice.

Vendor Marketing are strategic independent vendor advocacy experts specialising in both property marketing and real estate agent selection for home sellers within inner Melbourne, therefore we are able to assist you with house paint colours as part of preparing a home for sale.

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Craig Knudsen