What Your Walls Are Saying To Buyers

You’ve put your Green Valley, Arizona house on the market and inside are walls drenched in your favorite paint colors.  According to Debbie Zimmer, color expert at the Paint Quality Institute in Philadelphia, “paint color is so powerful that if can influence not just our state of mind but even our physiology”. 

Curious what your walls are saying to your potential buyers?  They are definitely speaking volumes and here’s what they have to say (see italicized):

RED:  Muy caliente…am I too hot for you to handle?  Give me a chance and I’ll put the zing back into your life by fueling your passion and desire.   Red will actually make the heart beat faster as it is the color of excitement and energy.  Remember a little red can go a LONG way.  According to Zimmer it is the perfect color for dining rooms and adult bedrooms.

PURPLE:  Would you feel differently about me if I told you that my royal presence increases your brain power?  According to Zimmer purple has a proven ability to stimulate brain activity.  Purple is one of those colors that should be used sparingly to avoid over-stimulation and, according to Zimmerman, it is a color that is probably most appropriate for a girl’s room.  In other words, if used throughout a home it could be too much of a good thing and won’t appeal to most buyers. 

BLUE:  You look calmer already.  I’ll make you feel so comfortable that you’ll want to close your eyes as I use my considerable power to lull you to sleep. Blue has been shown to slow pulse rate and lower body temperature making it great for bedrooms. 

GREEN:  You obviously like what you see and the reason you do is because I have the remarkable ability to renew your spirit. By far one of the more popular colors (probably because of the way Spring makes us feel when the “green” returns to our environment,), Zimmer says green represents renewal, youth and vigor.

Yellow:  Yippee, I’ll keep you smiling Mr. & Mrs. Buyer.  According to Zimmerman, yellow is a great interior color as it imparts happiness and optimism. Studies have shown that the brain actually releases more serotonin when the eye takes in yellow thereby creating positive psychological vibes.

Orange:  Ta da, you can’t take your eyes off of me and what’s more, you love the extra bounce that I put into your step. More attention getting than yellow, orange has an energy and warmth.  The shade of orange is important because the vivid tones may appear raw and flamboyant while the muddy shades are useful in many rooms, says Zimmerman.

How can you make sure your walls are giving your Buyers the message you want?  Take a cue from the pros and use the color wheel when selecting paint colors.

And how about those non-colors?  Black can be a great accent color for it imparts elegance, formality and sophistication.  A little goes a long way and too much of it can be downright depressing so use it sparingly.  

White, on the other hand, has a feeling of peace, simplicity and spaciousness.  It can provide a crisp finish to almost any paint job by adding sharp contrast to the wall color.  Best of all, it can give the illusion that the space it bigger than its physical dimensions…and when selling a home that is a very good attribute as “space sells”.