These homes suffered from a colorful past - and when corrected the results were astounding.  You've seen these homes - ones that are in a dated hue, are too personal or bold.  Over 85% of home buyers are looking first on the internet when shopping for real estate.  When preparing a home for sale, it's time to hide those wild colors!

Color - it can transform a room from cool to warm, serene to vibrant, stark to cozy.  We love color and the affordable and huge impact it can make.  It can make a huge "wow" when everything comes together well and the colors are perfect, but when the colors aren't "quite right" or show as dated or too personalized buyers will be turning to more attractive hues!


kitchen before painting

This home lingered on the market for far too long.  We provided a staging consultation and convinced (yes it was a hard sell) the sellers to paint the kitchen.  Multiple offers were received and both the agent and seller were convinced the painting and staging were key to this success!

kitchen painted shows beautifully

 

While we loved the paint job on this bonus room - it was far too personal to entice most home buyers that may not have toddlers who loved Elmo!  By painting a neutral color and staging it as an office, it has a broader appeal

bonus room redesign

bonus room neutralized

This living room's color was also a road block in attracting a buyer's attention!

living room remodeling done affordably

affordable living room remodel

This neutral tone is anything but dull! 

dining room before home staging

I loved this dining room color - and so did the home sellers!  However, it did make the room seem smaller and darker, and it may not appeal to many home buyers. After repainting, buyers will focus on the beautiful back yard view, bay window and spacious room - not the room color!

home staging performed by Creative Concepts and Contracting

 

We love homes with colorful pasts - here's a sneek preview of a few we're working with . . .

color consultations are a great investment!

paint and wallpaper recommendations

wallpaper removal is easy!

 

Don't let your home's colorful past effect the marketability to a broad buyer base!  Most potential buyers do not have the ability to envision your home with an updated palette, and will always assume repainting is more work than it really is. Statistics show that buyers want move in ready and are willing to pay more for homes that don't require repairs and updates.

 

Contact a professional home stager to get the right color the first time and make sure your new look is one that helps your home project a beautiful future.

Moving or improving?  Creative Concepts and Contracting has the expertise to showcase your home's full potential, stretch your budget, and maximize your time. 

Professional Home Staging - Reliable Contractor Repairs - Beautiful Results!

  View our website  See our YouTube Videos  Connect with us on facebook!  Subscribe to our blog

 
This post has been included in Oregon Information Marion County, OR Information Salem, OR Information
Post is included in group: Staging "Before" & "After" Pictures
Post is included in group: Stage It Forward...
Post is included in group: Everything Oregon
Post is included in group: Color it SOLD!
Post is included in group: Club Chaos

61 Comments on Suffering From a Colorful Past?

JUL
03

I love the colorful ones and appreciate all the hard work that goes into them. For selling purposes the bland, neutral does work best.

WOW- some of those wallpapers belong in the Smithsonian!!

9:02am • #1
Hit Router

Great transformations.  Looking forward to seeing your work on the last few.

9:09am • #3
428,930 Points 81 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router

Selling a home is so much easier when it is neutral.  That being said, one room in a bright or dark color, with neutral carpet and paint, won't necessarily hurt a sale.  I've had a number of people over the years say "That red is what sold me!"

9:12am • #4
396,153 Points 2 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog

Really nice home. I did like the red dining room however . The rest were disliked in varying degrees. Good post and great contrast thanks

9:18am • #5
354,951 Points 3 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Sometimes there can be the way you live in it...nothing wrong with color....and then there is the way you sell it...and that is whooooole different story....thank you for the illustration !

9:18am • #6

Crayola color # 65 - Realtor Beige :~)

9:20am • #7
357,843 Points 5 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Put that toilet seat down! Turn the lights on in every image..and with video get those fans turning so they say hey..this is live, narrated video..that's different, helpful. I agree with Charlie..someone liked the earlier color and bland is so....bland and what everyone does to sanitize and play it safe.

9:21am • #8
623,016 Points 59 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog

Love those bathroom shots! 

At sales meeting this week an agent recounted a story of a phone call from a buyer asking if the house was in the same time warp as most homes in the 'hood.  Built in the 60's or 70's.... Since the seller is close to 90 and not up to making changes I understand the house is priced at a discount for being in the "time warp."    

Andrew is right toilet seat should be put down... it is like before and after shots of women though... for make-up, hair, etc.

9:42am • #9
126,236 Points 5 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Paint makes all the difference in a world.  I wish all seller's would use it and I wish buyer's could get past it.

9:42am • #10
138,050 Points 1 Featured Post Outside Blog

What a transformation, Margaret!  You do great work!  That wallpaper in the bottom shots looks straight out of a Brady Bunch episode.  No wonder the homes aren't sold yet.  :)

9:45am • #11

Oh Margaret, talk about eye static....you have some wild wallpaper there! Your afters are great, a client can envision themselves and their things in the home now.

9:46am • #12
178,867 Points 6 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router

Painting is only one aspect that turns buyers off or on. I've shown homes where the decor was straight from the 60's - hadn't been changed or updated at all, and I've had buyers say they couldn't see past the decor to the actual potential of the house. Sad.

9:53am • #13
454,554 Points 2 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Hey, Margaret. What a difference a little paint will make. The bathroom was scary. Thanks, Jim

9:55am • #14
599,123 Points 63 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Margaret, those old wall papers are wild as well as the old paints. The children's rooms where they are decorated for toddlers I see a lot, and many do not go back to neutral colors as a prep. Big turnoff for buyers without kids. You selected wonderful photos. Plus paint is relatively cheap.

10:08am • #15
117,861 Points 4 Featured Posts Outside Blog

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am totally rolling on the floor laughing!  That bathroom with the floral pig is a total hoot!  I love the transformation and there is nothing quite like remediating Elmo from a room!  Good for you and very well done!!!

Jeani

10:09am • #16

Lime green paint on the ceiling, oh my! Your transformations will appeal to the many now. Really enjoyed seeing the pics. Thanks!

10:32am • #17
1 Featured Post

Loved it!  We explain it to our clients as a numbers game: "Half the population loves lime green, and the other half hates it. Why not choose a colour that 80% of the population likes? We're not looking for a winning colour; we're looking for one that is easy on the eyes with broad appeal."

Thanks for sharing the pics. You go, girl!

10:37am • #18
144,956 Points 13 Featured Posts

Margaret I had no idea you had staged that house (elmo house).  I showed it when it hit the market because the pictures looked great.  I would NEVER have shown it to my client based on those original shots.  You did you job in that a client walked in the door...

10:43am • #19
6 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Just bookmarked this, Margaret. Will be forwarding the link to some sellers! Thanks.

10:46am • #20

Interesting points and nice work...but perhaps we've all been rendered a bit wacky from watching way too much home makeover programming. When I make that observation to clients, they usually give at least a slight nod in agreement....

10:57am • #21
128,916 Points 5 Featured Posts

Wow - so glad that so many are enjoying these colorful pics -- stay tuned for part two -- we've got so many examples to share!

11:00am • #22

Wow, amazing differences!! I can see how the after shots have much more appeal!

Have a great 4th!

Dan

11:01am • #23
248,476 Points Outside Blog

Amazing changes!!!!!     Thanks for sharing.

11:14am • #24
143,292 Points 22 Featured Posts

Hi Margaret,

Thanks for the great pics, and I agree with the comments, nuetral works best to sell a home. Good luck in the future! :)

-Lisa

12:25pm • #26
234,744 Points 4 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Margaret your photos are priceless.  It is so true that sellers must stage properly including color. Some just take a little longer to believe it has value.  Your photos add that value - thanks!

1:06pm • #27
430,942 Points 2 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog

These are some great examples, and the underlying fact it so true. The way you live in your home is not the way you sell your home.

1:10pm • #28
168,337 Points 1 Featured Post

Well, as they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Great post and terrific examples

2:31pm • #29
Outside Blog

Margaret, my eyes are finally uncrossed after seeing the wallpaper in the 2 bathrooms.  Great blog and great Staging.

2:37pm • #30
103,917 Points 3 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Great before/after shots. I'm one Realtor that does not have to be sold on staging.

What is your opinion of painting the ceilings the same color as the walls? I have one Seller getting her home ready to sell -- she's chosen a neutral camel color and plans to paint the walls & ceilings in that; cream accents. I just met with a stager who is going to the client's home with me next Monday, but I don't know if she's already purchased the paint or not.

2:52pm • #31
259,348 Points 5 Featured Posts

Margaret - What an amazing staging difference going back to lighter neutral colors made. 

A couple of years ago, I recarpeted my house with sage carpet.  BUT, I decided to paint the living room walls a color described as Ralph Lauren Capri Rose.  I was able to live with that color for about 36 hours.  Everytime I stepped into the living room I felt like I was slapped in the face:-)

3:00pm • #32

I once painted a den my favortie color - a salmon/coral shade.  This was long before I was a Realtor and knew better.  It was beautiful the morning I did it, but as the sun set and the light changed, it turned into a satanic ornage!  Never again! 

Now I LIKE Crayola Realtor Beige #65!

 

Tucson Dawn

3:18pm • #33
214,710 Points 5 Featured Posts

I feel like I just flipped through a vintage 70's magazine.  Too funny!  Love the Elmo transformation...you increased the value of the house by thousands!  I also love the living room transformation...did you paint the brick, it looks great!

4:13pm • #34
108,756 Points 1 Featured Post

Margaret - These are great pictures to help explain how staging makes it easier to sell a house.

4:26pm • #35

Margaret- You have a remarkable vision when it comes to preparing a house for sale. You rock!

4:54pm • #36

Excellent post.  It's amazing what a little paint will do and it is also amazing how difficult it is to SELL the idea to our clients.  Even with all the HGTV expert watchers out there when it comes to looking at a home many people can't get past the '80s wall paper or on the other hand to get some color into the house so it will sell at the appropriate price.

5:22pm • #37
162,947 Points 9 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router

This were very demonstrative pictures. I really loved seeing the kitchen transformation and the family room as well. The new paint made SUCH a difference!

6:25pm • #38
602,162 Points 112 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router

Margaret...

Excellent post with supporting photos, but it was your title that drew me in! Good job.

7:38pm • #39
463,936 Points 28 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog

Margaret, What a beautiful job you did.  I too loved the colors if I were iving in it but certainly not to sell it.  Your pictures made a huge transformation and I'm sure the homeowners are thrilled!  Wonderful post and pictures to show what Home Staging does for a listing!

7:54pm • #40
352,361 Points Outside Blog

Great before and after - amazing how much difference some paint makes -- some of those before photos were a bit scary!

8:09pm • #41
1 Featured Post Outside Blog

I just had this discussion with a seller today! I need to figure out how to send this to her!

8:22pm • #42
189,968 Points 1 Featured Post

Ha! What a great post. What a difference a remodel makes. Beautiful transformation from blah....old.....to something beautiful and stylish. Nice post thanks,

Patricia Aulson/Portsmouth nh

8:44pm • #43
145,213 Points

Margaret, some of your photos look similar to my Salem homes in the 70's.  Hopefully they have since been changed.  Love the transformations and the trip down memory lane.  Back in the day I used a lot of wallpaper.  

8:47pm • #44
321,723 Points 8 Featured Posts Outside Blog Hit Router

Wow. I guess you'd frown on my "paprika" kitchen for sure! Love the photos.

9:57pm • #45
103,256 Points 4 Featured Posts

What we live with and love, and what sells a home can be 2 totally opposite things. Great work!

10:15pm • #46
2 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor

This is great testimony as to how different a home can show just from changing the coloring or removing wallpaper. You got my attention.

11:05pm • #47
365,927 Points 3 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog

You definitely have some colorful ones to work on in the future.  And, you're right, many buyers can't see past the color.

11:06pm • #48
5 Featured Posts

Margaret: Your work is awesome, and so is your blog. You have a great voice, style, and conversation. I was thinking about just this a few days ago... My kids and I have this commute comedy conversation... I don't know the address, but you know where the florecent green house is, that glows in the dark? Yep, I do... meet you there...

11:21pm • #49
213,774 Points 6 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor

Great before and after shots. The kitchen looks especially great. There are so many neutral tones in there, the color was really fighting with all of them. While the neutral from the red is pretty, I too have had people love a saturated color when it was done well and decorated tastefully. But all in all you are absolutely right.

Sharon

11:32pm • #50
JUL
04
2 Featured Posts

Oh man,  that is what I am talkin about.  Great post!  That is some real inspiration there. 

The office is nice, but I.... I kind of miss Elmo...  (is that normal?)

10:46am • #51

fimallygetting round to looking at this! Great job as usual, can't wait to see how you handle the green tomorrow in my listing. I am so excited!! Enjoy your day and see ya tomorrow!

12:36pm • #52
195,067 Points 64 Featured Posts Outside Blog

I like the dining room better with the red. I have to agree with you though sometimes a fresh paint job is all it takes to get an offer.

1:41pm • #53
JUL
05
128,916 Points 5 Featured Posts

One question was raised in the comments by Lori about my opinion about painting the walls and ceiling a camel color.  Personally, when the ceiling is painted the same as the walls sometimes it gives more of a "builder beige", we spray painted everything quickly look.  I think it provides a much more open and rich look to have the ceiling several shades lighter in the same tone. 

I did hate to recommend painting over that play room which was so adorable.  It was located right off the living room and many people would use it for a sun room, office or family room.  Here's another example of some great paint talent I saw last week.

custom painted mural

7:15am • #54
103,256 Points 4 Featured Posts

That is adorable! The problem is people spend a lot of time and talent painting on something that is not permanent. It's like the sidewalk chalk artist.  When you see something that good, you want to keep it forever.  Maybe someone should invent some kind of removable wall size canvas.

9:36am • #55
191,040 Points 4 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Wow!  See what happens when I'm off of AR for a few days.  This is amazing.

Congratulations.  Your post is being featured in the group; Home Staging Before & After Pictures.

Kathy

3:18pm • #56
115,176 Points 2 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog

Great pics and an excellent way to show huge change. Paint is such an easy way to change up a home. Nice and very timely post. I miss Elmo too;)) but that pig in the bathroom is priceless.

4:35pm • #57
JUL
09

What a difference a coat of paint can make.

www.whiteinkstudio.com

Whitey Ink
12:14am • #58

Interjecting colour is great.  There is a time when some of these colours have to be released.  Great examples of how colour can affect the ways a space is presents itself.

1:06pm • #59
JUL
13
1 Featured Post

Paint is soooooo cheap and so effective - why dont sellers get that ?

9:29am • #60
JUL
15
623,016 Points 59 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog

I can not wait to see photos of the rooms once they get past their colorful pasts. 

 

11:58am • #61

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Margaret Oscilia-Home Stager, Salem Oregon

Salem, OR

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Creative Concepts and Contracting, Salem Oregon

Office Phone: (503) 881-0886

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