Decorating to sell

[BeeofLight]

Planning to put the house on the market next year so we need to give the whole house a freshen up as the paintwork is looking tired.

is it best to keep it all as neutral/white as possible or does that just look bland and boring?

Following with interest. I’ve just painted much of our house white with some colour on ceilings but questioning my choices!

It can vary by region (or neighbourhood!). Google "best updates to help my home sell in ---."
And have a few estate agents view your home to give advice before you choose which one to list with plus view listings in your area online/in-person to see what others have done.
Good luck.

Don’t do it. People buy potential
and want to put their own stamp.
Clean is good enough.

@Ilovecheeseyahpaint is relatively cheap though so I think it’ll be worth it and we’ll paint it ourselves. It will surely make it look fresher. We’ll also wash all the curtains, vax the carpets and sofas etc

although I don’t think any of that will be the reason anyone buys the house I just want it to be looking the best it can.

I would touch up any particularly damaged/scuffed areas, and make sure everything’s clean. But unless it’s a particularly tricky sale (difficult house with obvious disadvantages, and/or static market), I wouldn’t do more than that.

Estate again told us white/cream and generally neutral still does best for selling. And a lot of people still choose that when they're painting anyway, so while I know the industry likes trends for obvious reasons, it's not as if everyone goes for bright colours anyway.

When we put ours on the market we bought a huge tin of Dulux trade white and did the whole of the downstairs. Painted over all the tired colours we had (deep red/sage greed) to freshen it up and it actually looked pretty awesome and made both the lounge and dining room look larger and lighter. We were really pleased with it.

I then popped out and brought a few cheap cushions, some rugs, and pieces of home decor, to add some pops of colour which stopped the rooms looking stark.

Going neutral/white may be boring to some but it is also very easy for a prospective buyer to paint over with their own colour if they wish.

We were really pleased with our end result. With just a few days of painting and a little effort, the rooms looked fresh and clean and we felt proud to show viewers round.

Having bought and sold a lot. Crisp white for the ceiling and trim. A white for the walls. Natural white is a lovely option if you have a heritage house. If its a newer build pick a crisp white. If you have lots natural sun you can pick freely. If it lacks natural white go for lightest white possible with just a touch of warmth

People like a blank canvas. Which is easy with neutrals

I have viewed a lot of houses. Dark, or poor quality pain jobs made me think this will be exhausting, the whole house needs repainting!

the house I bought in the end had dated dark feature walls. The rooms look much bigger now they have been repainted.

i have always repainted before selling, to make the house look newer and move in ready. I use delux timeless. This house needed work so I was less concerned about paint as I was knocking down walls and tiling out bathrooms and the kitchen.

If i had to repaint, my first job would be the hallway as that's what leaves the first impression. I find that when viewing a house, people spend more time downstairs anyway so I'd focus on the living room and kitchen. If you need to do the bedrooms as well, try not to match it with the downstairs as then it really looks like you've just done it for the sale and are hiding something. There are so many wonderful neutrals out there (I love the Paint and Paper Library neutrals and you can just colour match these) and you could achieve a really cohesive look without it looking bland and boring.

if your woodwork is badly scuffed and dented, fix that too.

A friend of mine is selling right now and they've found that painting the exterior doors and cills has made a huge difference as well. Their house was quite tired looking as well and repainting the exterior features has brought it into the current decade.

Yes, but 'I think it looks fresher' is different to 'A repaint made the sale' or 'Repainting got us far more viewings than we would have got otherwise'.

I do think it depends on the overall condition of the house and your target market.

My parents used to renovate houses, the price bracket and city location attracted first time buyers who were largely put off by any work. A blank canvas with neutral walls and carpets really worked for them. It’s amazing how little work some people are willing to do😊

in my area as you move up the property ladder people are more relaxed about pricing in some works. But the move in ready look does attract a certain type of buyer

We’re looking to move in 18 months and we’re going with neutral all over the house with some colour in curtains, cushions, art and throws.
think making sure the outside od the house is attractive )as possible!), ensure no weeds, some colour / plants in pots, tidy driveway if you have one, painted garage/outside of house etc.
make the garden ‘another room’.
our plan is to update our driveway, paint garage doors, removing old decking and putting down a new patio, sails, garden furniture / outdoor kitchen, lawn made lovely, paint fences. Our house has been an investment donuts going to be not too shy of 850-900k, so some of the above like the garden kitchen may be OTT but I think just make fresh and blank canvas colour wise on walls

Hard disagree. People want houses they can move into without having to spend time and money painting it. Even if not to somebodies taste it adds appeal and makes it more sellable.

I agree with this. We've bought and sold maybe 8 times. White every time, with neutral art, cushions and throws to add some colour. It'll look clean, fresh and cared for.

I disagree. Not many people want to move and then have to paint a house quickly.

If you paint colour go pale. My bedroom is a very soft pink and my DDs a soft yellow. The guest bedroom has a wallpaper that I love but I suppose not to everyone’s taste but the rest of the house is loft white. I don’t think the wallpaper will put anyone off buying though.
If you are doing it yourself do put in the time to prep it properly.

Honestly don’t bother. People don’t care and will just repaint.