I have to choose new colours to sell our house while sitting in another country.. can you help?

[lborgia]

We have finally decided to sell our beloved house, as we show no signs of coming home to the UK (and honestly I"m not sure if we'd be allowed back in now).

The agent said it would sell fine as is, but it's a mess, 10 years of renting etc etc.. and no one seems to want a fixer-upper. So, am biting bullets and having it all redecorated and carpeted etc.

It's a normal, early Victorian terrace house - still very traditional in style, so am thinking heritage colours. Much as I am tempted to just get the whole place whited out, I don't know that it will actually help.

So, now we're past all the grey obsession (are we?), what should I have the hallways and landings painted? I will always go for white on woodwork, roses, coving etc. But not sure if I should use a statement colour on the walls themselves.

The rooms themselves, well, I'm slightly lost but have a couple of ideas..

What would you do?

Dulux Timeless. Plain, neutral, inoffensive. Any new buyer will most probably want to redecorate to their own tastes anyway. I wouldn't spend more than you need to.

Deep blues and greens. I'd keep hallway light with maybe something similar to f&b blackened. In rooms it's more modern to paint skirting in Sam's colour as walls if a big contrast.

Cheap contract white is just that ,cheap - I can buy at £1/Lt.
It's quicker, therefore cheaper, to paint ceiling and walls all white -no cutting in at top of wall.

It arguably doesn't show a period house to best advantage, and can look cold.Although rooms can look bigger.

Perhaps choose nice colours for downstairs, and just white out the first floor?

I'd probably go white throughout too. It would make a blank canvas for someone else. Dark colours are in right now but won't be to everybody's taste so not worth the risk.

If you're only doing it up to sell I'd go very neutral; light walls and white woodwork.

It's a blank canvas for all types of buyer then.

Not everyone likes bold, statement wall colours but those who do can imagine a property with them more easily than those who don't can imagine them not being there IYSWIM.

Shades of off white/ cream, they will give a fresh airy feeling, especially in the long hallway that theses houses have.
Woodwork white eggshell.
Flooring neutral beige. This gives a potential buyers a blank canvas that's livable with until they redecorate. Also save you a decision headache!

Dulux timeless is definitely the new magnolia. I personally think white looks better, especially with loads of character features, however it's not to everyone's taste so timeless is the safer option

Life is too short. White ceilings and woodwork. Cream or magnolia walls. Properly done.

Once you see the price difference for colours even in the standard ranges, let alone the super we saw you coming brands, you won't want to do anything else.

Egyptian cotton, looks fresh and not yellowy

Timeless or egyptian cotton are both really good neutrals and hard to go wrong with. Not going to upset, easy to paint over, but v liveable while a person makes decisions.

I'd just do a warm cream throughout, put a cream carpet in throughout and leave it at that. Rooms will look bigger but also,warm and clean. And people can move in and live in it.

Thanks so much for all the input - I'd actually spotted Egyptian Cotton, and liked it - well that's just taken a whole section off my to do list! The guys doing the decorating are fantastic so I know they'll do a great job.

Cream carpet - doesn't it make everyone freak out? Won't the agent have to get everyone to take their shoes off?

Carpets. ...

We've got cream carpets upstairs and young kids - it didn't freak us out

What flooring have you currently got downstairs? Are the floorboards good enough to leave exposed?

I like carpet upstairs but with kids it's not practical in living areas (in my opinion!)

Go for a light grey carpet maybe.

The new builds we have viewed recently have been painted entirely in Dulux Thimble Case. A white/ grey. Seems a v neutral, slightly modern off white choice.

I would be tempted though to just paint in cheap white as that always looks very fresh to start with.