Why Painting a Home Before Selling can Make a Huge Difference

Homeowners thinking about selling their property usually take on a number of improvement projects before listing their home for sale. Making basic home improvements when it's time to sell can attract buyers and can distinguish a home from other properties in the area. Painting the exterior of a home is a project that is especially helpful for sellers. Painting your house before putting it on the market can help refresh the beauty of the property and can make the home more desirable overall.

Benefits of Painting Your Home Before Selling

There are many reasons that homeowners choose to paint their property before selling. Some of the benefits of exterior painting include:

• Opportunity to choose a buyer-friendly color. Home buyers tend to respond best to neutral paint colors like earthy brown, creamy white and soft gray. If you are a homeowner with a property that has been previously painted in bright colors, repainting with a more neutral palette can help ensure that the home will appeal to the widest range of buyers possible.
• Make your home match with other homes on the block. Paint colors that stand out from other homes in the neighborhood can draw the wrong type of attention to your home. Repainting your home gives you a chance to make your property match the other homes on your block.
• Fresh paint looks clean and attractive. Nothing looks cleaner and more attractive than a fresh coat of paint on a home's exterior whether you're selling a home in West Calgary or across the country. Painting your house can help draw buyers by boosting curb appeal much like landscaping does.
• Fresh paint can cover old stains and blemishes. Over time, the exterior of your home can become stained by mud, mildew, moss and other natural organic material. This is especially true of homes where the sprinkler system splashes mud onto the walls of the house. While a good pressure washing can sometimes help remedy this problem, typically the best way to make your home look fresh and clean is to paint your home's exterior.

Does Your Home Need to Be Painted?

Failure to paint your home before it's needed can result in wood rot, pest invasion and water damage. These problems can lead to lower offers from home buyers. Home buyers who perceive that a home needs a lot of work may reduce their offer by even more than the cost of the necessary repairs.

Some of the signs that your home needs to be repainted include:

• Peeling and blistering paint.
• Exposed wood beneath the paint.
• Paint is faded.
• The paint color is outdated.

When Are Paint Touch Ups Enough?

While touch ups can hide small blemishes on a home's exterior, large swaths of exposed wood can be problematic to home buyers. One of the best ways to find out what areas of the home need to be fully repainted for buyers is to talk with your real estate professional.