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Home Staging Tip ~ So there's No Complaint About the Paint, Use Restraint

By
Home Stager with Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR

portland oregon home staging experts

As professional home stagers, we've heard for years that when you're selling your home, your wall colors should be current colors, and preferably neutral ones.  Nothing says "dated" more than walking into a home whose walls sport colors from ten or twenty years ago.  But painting your home to prepare it for selling is one of the best returns on your investment!  The cost of paint is reasonable (look for sales) and labor is cheap if you do it yourself, but usually very worthwhile having it done by a professional.

What we've found is that buyers will walk into a home that needs painting and imagine that the cost of painting is much higher than it actually is.  This results in thinking that the house "needs work" and if they decide to make an offer, they're going to deduct a much higher amount for this "work" than it may actually cost.  They may also just decide to keep looking ... going on to the next house that looks more "move-in ready."

We often work with Oregon homeowners to help them select paint colors for selling.  Here are some Before & After photos from 3 lovely homes we worked on recently that illustrate how neutral paint colors show buyers that "this home is ready for you!"

The living & dining rooms had a very bold color that buyers couldn't relate to home staging lake oswego oregon

Painting the walls a color that complements the oak floors & wood trim, and exposing the windows makes this home more appealing to the 40-something Target BuyerPortland OR home stagers

This living room had a wall color that looked great with their rug, but the rug didn't stay with the housePortland Oregon home staging

A neutral wall color enhanced the woodwork in this lovely home (staging helped too)home staging tips portland oregon

This master bathroom is GORGEOUS, but the dark color really dated it

lake oswego oregon home stagers

Using a color that complemented the tiles, marble and woodwork made the room much brighter!

house staging Lake Oswego OR

If you're planning to sell your home, or it's on the market but buyer feedback is that it "needs work" i.e. painting,  consult with your local professional home stager for advice on paint colors that help sell homes!

More Tips for Selling your Portland home faster: 

Painting Tips for your Oregon Home

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Room Solutions Staging offers expert home staging services in Portland, Oregon to homeowners, real estate agents, and builders. Our proven home staging techniques will help reduce your property's market time and maximize your equity. We'll prepare your property or listing to look appealing to your target buyer for the online photos as well as for in-person viewings. Our owner and principal stager Maureen Bray is a nationally-recognized home staging expert who enjoys sharing her passion for staging with others.  To schedule a Verbal Staging Consultation filled with our staging tips and advice, contact us @ 503-246-1800.

Room Solutions Staging

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 2014 Top Ten Professional Stager of the Year - U.S.

2013 Top Ten Professional Stager of the Year - U.S.

2012 Professional Stager of the Year - Western U.S.  

Houzz Customer Satisfaction Award - 2015 and 2016

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~  Past President of the Real Estate Staging Association National Board ~

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Comments (34)

Cathy Tarrant
HOMESTYLING BY CATHY - St Johns, NL
CCSP

Maureen, what a difference!  I wholeheartedly agree, but I have been hearing lately from some well known stagers, that neutral paint is dated and to bring in color!!  Do you think that will be the new trend eventually?

May 03, 2012 06:05 AM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Hi Kathy ~ Yes, that bathroom color was from 2002 -- ten years is like a lifetime in paint color trends!!  Thanks for your feedback!

Hi Cathy ~ The best choice of paint color depends on your market area, the neighborhood, and the target buyer.  For the last home in my example, the bathroom is a $2Million home where buyers would not like the burgundy color and would find it dark and dated.  We do have some neighborhoods in Portland where the wilder and bolder the wall color, the better! Those homes are really fun to work in ... and I love living with color ... but trends in one state or province don't necessarily translate to others.

May 03, 2012 11:14 AM
Kathy Nielsen
http://atlantahomestaging.net - Marietta, GA
Atlanta Georgia Home Stager

These photos stress just how big a transformation paint alone can do to a room.

Congratulations. Your staging is being featured in the group, Staging Before and After Pictures.

Kathy

May 03, 2012 11:02 PM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Hi Kathy ~ Thanks for the feature!  Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have so many dark/gray days that we tend to favor warm neutrals. We've found that buyers here prefer a light-filled home and these lighter shades make them more appealing.

May 04, 2012 02:10 AM
Kristine Ginsberg
Elite Staging and Redesign, LLC - Short Hills, NJ
NJ Home Stager

Maureen - I'm always trying to talk my sellers into painting and this post is the perfect example to use showing them the difference a fresh, neutral coat of paint makes. Now this home looks bigger, cleaner and more crisp! You make a great point about buyers thinking painting costs more than it really does - it's the best fix for the the highest ROI!

May 04, 2012 03:00 AM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Hi Kristine ~ These 3 different homes all needed some toning down for selling, based on the neighborhood and target demographics.  Now the cost of painting won't come into play when buyers are considering making an offer.  You bet, it's one of the best ROI when selling :-)

May 04, 2012 03:47 AM
David Peterson
Synergy Staging ~ specializing in vacant home staging - Portland, OR
Home Stager Portland OR-Synergy Staging-Portland Oregon

Nice color consults Maureen. We always want to change the gray/green walls that seem to be so popular in Oregon. With so much of the year overcast, this color does not help a space feel warm and cozy. Like you said, it is fun to work in Sellwood and other areas where bolder colors are more condusive to the neighborhoods.

May 04, 2012 10:14 AM
Roberta Anderson
Hearth & Home Staging - Silverdale, WA
Hearth & Home Staging, Staging Kitsap County

I love the transformations! Though these rooms were neutralized, there's nothing "plain vanilla" about them!

May 05, 2012 09:09 AM
Laura Cerrano
Feng Shui Manhattan Long Island - Locust Valley, NY
Certified Feng Shui Expert, Speaker & Researcher

I my my field it's all about the balencing act - very Feng Shui :)

May 05, 2012 11:26 AM
Anna Dovger
Add Value Home Staging LLC, 281-704-6607 - The Woodlands, TX
Home Staging -The Woodlands, TX

Huge difference, Maureen. I am glad that seller was cooperative.

May 05, 2012 01:04 PM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Hi David ~ Sellwood?  How about Hawthorne!!  That's where we've found some really fun, bold colors that are just perfect for the neighborhood and don't require changing.

Hi Roberta ~ That's right -- there's no need to be "plain vanilla" either -- a happy medium works.

Hi Laura ~ Balancing is a very good thing  :-))

Hi Anna ~ In this case, it was three sellers, since it's three different homes.  They agreed to change the paint colors, and all three homes became more appealing for their particular target buyer.

May 05, 2012 02:01 PM
Gene Riemenschneider
Home Point Real Estate - Brentwood, CA
Turning Houses into Homes

I hope you will forgive a tacky comment.  I have been watching my son play baseball in a tournament all day and out with the team tonight.  Just want to say hi!

May 05, 2012 04:08 PM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Ha Ha Gene at least you're honest!  Hope the baseball tournament was a success!

May 05, 2012 04:31 PM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Hi Valerie ~ Removing the drapes in the first living room helped update the room along with the new paint color, you are right :-)   In the second home, that is a modest home but it looks great now that all the colors work together -- and all it took was painting the one accent wall where the fireplace is!!  Who knew that so little money and time would have such an impact? (well, we stagers know, but most of the public thinks it's a lot more work, which equates to lower offers ...)

May 06, 2012 09:48 AM
Peg Barcelo
Fluff My House! Home Staging Inc. 250.486.6369 - Summerland, BC
The FlufftasticStager from Summerland, BC

Maureen, funny how a new paint colour can totally transform a room! What wonderful before and After's!

I'm going to paint our living room right away, just have to get the wallpaper residue off the walls. What a chore! But it won't be dated anymore...

May 13, 2012 12:29 AM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Hi Peg ~ Good luck with your own painting, I'm sure you're going to love the updated look! Please share your Before and After photos with us!!

May 13, 2012 02:20 AM
Barbara-Jo Roberts Berberi, MA, PSA, TRC - Greater Clearwater Florida Residential Real Estate Professional
Charles Rutenberg Realty - Clearwater, FL
Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Clearwater, Safety Harbor

Wow, Maureen, you certainly have it down with painting changes! I love color but the lighter colors always make the place seem so much LARGER! I once used a burgundy paint in my living room but it was on a single wall....a short wall that separated the kitchen. The rest of the room was eggshell. That worked, especially since that burgundy wall had a large floral painting in the center of it and the colors went with the wall.

May 16, 2012 10:33 PM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Hi Barbara-Jo ~ I love painting an accent wall, too.  As you said it can add a lot of life to a room, and if you're living in the home for a while you should make it exactly how you like :-)  We do find in general that neutral colors can make a room appear larger, that is so true.   Thanks for your feedback!

May 19, 2012 03:35 PM
Michelle Finnamore
Toronto GTA, Alliston, Newmarket - Vaughan, ON
Preparing your property for sale

HI Maureen, you did a great job of "calming down" the room so that buyers can actually see what is that they are buying.

Jun 03, 2012 04:57 AM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Hi Michelle ~ Usually for selling, that's what we recommend ... so as you said, buyers can actually "see" what they're paying for.  Thanks for stopping by!

Jun 03, 2012 06:15 AM