Somehow word has gotten out that white is a good color to paint when selling your home. Unless you live in a light filled contemporary home, full of windows and on a beach or in an uber modern abode, this could not be further from the truth. Simply put, when it comes to selling, white walls are not your friend.
True, a neutral color is a must when it comes to staging – the key word is color. The house should feel light and bright, yet warm and comfortable. White is cold. White spaces feel stark and they don’t complement most furniture and accessories. White walls will not generate the desired response in your buyers, but many colors will. Choosing a color when selling is completely different from choosing a color when you decorate your home to live. You want to remove your personality from the home so that the new buyers can imagine themselves living there. But you don’t want the house to have NO personality, i.e. white walls, you want it to have a neutral personality – one that could work with all different styles, tastes and colors of furniture. Think Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware or Crate & Barrel when choosing a paint color. Notice how the strong colors are typically in the amazing accessories?
Soft tans and beiges work well as can beautiful soft grays, neutral greens and the right shades of pale yellow or soothing blue. It is very important to consider the permanent fixtures in your home – the color of the flooring, the cabinets, and the trim as well as the light in the room (both natural light and artificial) when choosing a color. The colors should work well between rooms and flow harmoniously. The correct color will make the trim, the cabinets and the flooring look fantastic and will make your space seem bigger.
A few "whites" to consider when selling.
If you really, really must have a white – here are some suggestions: Nice White, Polite White, White Truffle, Reliable White, Everyday White, Pacer White, Moderate White or Divine White – all from Sherwin Williams or Sail White or Journal White from Ralph Lauren. True, these are not actually white – and while I would often suggest a slightly darker version of these colors – they will not be stark. And, if you choose the right shade based on the colors and light in your home, they will make your home look amazing.
Paint is the cheapest way to make your home look like new. If you are feeling confused about what color to choose please call a professional color consultant in to help. There is nothing more frustrating than a freshly painted home in all the wrong colors when it comes to selling.