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Blinded by Beauty! Paint Failures!

By
Real Estate Agent with eXp Realty of California, Inc. (lic. #01878277) DRE# 00949880

    It can be so easy to be blinded by a beautiful home.  When my wife and I purchased our present home, we thought it was just perfect.  There were some really nice features including, shiny new white cabinets, custom paint colors, complimentary tile and carpet and brand new appliances!  I can still remember the first time I made Christmas cookies.  I preheated that new oven and popped that tray full of cookies right into the oven.  Check that!  I TRIED to put the cookies in the oven.  The cookie tray hit both sides of the oven.  It was an undersized oven!  I looked at the overall kitchen, not each item.  For a guy like me that really enjoys the kitchen, it was a big deal and not easily fixable.  The cabinets would have to be rebuilt to accommodate a properly sized oven.  It took us over ten years and a lot of money before we could re-do the kitchen and have the kitchen that we wanted all along.

     Recently, I showed a home that had a similar situation.  We walked into a beautiful home.  My clients loved it!  There was crown everywhere, custom window and door trim and brand new stained cabinets.  It was gorgeous.  One problem.  The contractor painted over oil based paint without properly preparing it.  The paint job is going to fail and fail big very soon.  It is a thousands of dollars and a two or three weeks to fix problem, but it looks perfect.  Old oil based paint needs to be sanded and primed with an oil based primer prior to painting it with an acrylic paint.  There are some acrylics that will work, if the surface is very clean and sanded well, but I prefer the oil primer method.  It ensures a good bond.

     When viewing homes, try to get past the initial impression.  Run your hands over the trim and doors.  Do they feel smooth?  Do they look smooth? Are there any areas that the paint is failing?  Really look at the cabinets.  There are a lot of stained cabinets that have been painted poorly.  In an inconspicuous area, run your fingernail over the paint (trim, doors, cabinets, baseboards).  The paint should not come off easily.  Look at the walls .  Have the drywall patches been done correctly? I would even look at the tile, sink and tub surfaces closely.  They can be painted effectively, but I have seen many failed applications.  Of course, home inspectors are a must, but it does pay to look beyond the beauty.  By the way, the first item I always check these days...the oven!!!

Posted by

             eXp Realty of California, Inc

Raymond Henson, SRES, GRI, e-Pro

Past Client Testimonials   

3412 Babson Drive

Elk Grove, CA 95758

RayRHenson@gmail.com

916-698-8415

 

 

Comments (32)

Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

It's amazing how much you miss even when you do this everyday. The stove I wouldn't but I'm sure there are plenty of others.

Apr 14, 2015 02:33 AM
Jaretta Buckholtz
Pearson Smith Realty, LLC - Manassas, VA
Passionate-Professional-Patient

Great post!  I attempt to tell my sellers that poorly done paint jobs and band-aid will not work when there are so many REALTORS® who know what to look for,so why not just do it right the first time.  it will save you a lot of money, aggravation and heartaches of not having your home sell when you and it to because of your band-aid job that required a tourniquet.

Apr 14, 2015 03:00 AM
Gene Riemenschneider
Home Point Real Estate - Brentwood, CA
Turning Houses into Homes

Issues like this pop up a lot with Flip Homes.  They look nice, really nice, but the focus has all bee on the cosmetic.  Thanks for the post.

Apr 14, 2015 03:04 AM
Kimo Jarrett
Cyber Properties - Huntington Beach, CA
Pro Lifestyle Solutions

Difficult to comment on this issue, except to say as a Realtor, I'll leave the condition of the home up to the home inspector unless I see a particular condition that my client should be made aware of. Buying a used home will have some wear and tear and cosmetic issues but shouldn't be enough to be a deal breaker.

Apr 14, 2015 03:32 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

A few years back, I redocorated my living room.  All went well until I chose the accent colors for a couple walls.  The color was Capri Rose.  It looked so great on the paint chip, but on those two walls, it simply knocked your socks off when you glanced at them. . .And, that wasn't in a good way either!

Apr 14, 2015 03:52 AM
Ray Henson
eXp Realty of California, Inc. (lic. #01878277) - Elk Grove, CA
Realtor

Deborah Stone-I too like "Ugly Ducklings."

Ed Lilva-Two tests.  The classic test, cut a cross in the paint and put masking tape over the X and pull.  The paint should hold.  Of course, that is difficult because we do not want to damage the seller's home and be responsible for it.  You can do what I tend to do.  Look for the tell tale signs of paint peeling up and scrape inconspicuous areas with your fingernail.  It works pretty well.

Gene Riemenschneider-I have actually had pretty good luck helping my clients with flipped homes, but there are plenty that my cients have passed on, like the one from my blog.

Thanks everyone for all the great comments.  I have taken a pretty long vacation from blogging and am very pleasantly surprised by all the interaction.

Apr 14, 2015 04:12 AM
Ray Henson
eXp Realty of California, Inc. (lic. #01878277) - Elk Grove, CA
Realtor

Myrl Jeffcoat,  I have been therre and done that...in my own home!  I painted a bathroom for my wife as a surprise when she was on vacation.  I went with a tropical theme, including using a pretty blue color.  At least, I thought it was pretty.  Upon entering the room, my wife actually screamed!  After she composed herself, she simply said, "I thought we werent going with blue."  I re-painted the bathroom. 

Apr 14, 2015 04:16 AM
Dorte Engel
RE/MAX Leading Edge - Bowie, MD
ABC - Annapolis, Bowie, Crofton & rest of Maryland

Dear Ray,

As a former construction supervisor, stuff like that sticks in my eye like a sharp pitchfork. Sometimes, clients want to make an offer, while I count up, what it will all cost to fix Mr Home Owner's "improvements." Just like real estate, painting is not nearly as easy as it looks & most of the job is not the painting itself.

Apr 14, 2015 05:35 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

I would be so afraid to purchase a home that had been flipped for this exact reason.....you can't go by appearances alone!

Apr 14, 2015 05:58 AM
Georgie Hunter R(S) 58089
Hawai'i Life Real Estate Brokers - Haiku, HI
Maui Real Estate sales and lifestyle info

But knowing about the stove, would you have bought that house anyway? Do you regret the purchase?

Apr 14, 2015 06:00 AM
Ray Henson
eXp Realty of California, Inc. (lic. #01878277) - Elk Grove, CA
Realtor

I would have purchased the home anyway Georgie Hunter, but if I cought the small oven while looking at the model home, it would have saved a lot of grief.  Also, the house I saw this issue in would cost probably 9 or 10k to fix.  There are lots of doors and window trim everywhere.  I would definetly walk away from that house, ask for a step price reduction or ask for the seller to fix it.  Plus, a mistake that big, I would wonder if there are other surprises to follow.

Apr 14, 2015 07:04 AM
Theresa Akin
CORPUS CHRISTI REALTY GROUP - Corpus Christi, TX

How coincidental! The oven is one of the first things my buyers think of.  Most want an oven a good size 20 lb. turkey will fit into. Had one buyer who baked cakes for catering out of her home. One of the requirements was to check the size of the oven. That was fun since most of the ovens weren't big enough. Actually took measuring tape to get the cubic feet of the oven. Found her a house with an oven bigger than her requirements. Chef size!!

Apr 14, 2015 09:32 AM
Sharon Parisi
United Real Estate Dallas - Dallas, TX
Dallas Homes

Ray, I used to have two ovens like the one you described.  I was thrilled when we replaced them with larger ovens. We were fortunate that the cabinet around the ovens had wide trim that could be cut back for the new ovens.

Apr 14, 2015 01:25 PM
Ray Henson
eXp Realty of California, Inc. (lic. #01878277) - Elk Grove, CA
Realtor

Sharon, we had to rebuild our cabinet and remove and replace another cabinet. It was worth it though.  We can cook a turkey in there and still have space left over. Plus, we took the opportunity  to install granite and a new tile backsplash. It's nice to have a proper oven, isn't it?

Apr 14, 2015 11:35 PM
Jaretta Buckholtz
Pearson Smith Realty, LLC - Manassas, VA
Passionate-Professional-Patient

I am glad to hear you got the kitchen you thought you bought.  And the story made for a great "what not to to" or better yet, "what to look for"!

Apr 15, 2015 11:06 PM
Winston Heverly
Coldwell Banker Access Realty - South Macon, GA
GRI, ABR, SFR, CDPE, CIAS, PA

Hi, I can't believe I missed this post, great read on todays hot topic. Thanks for sharing.

Apr 16, 2015 12:33 PM
Annette Thor
Connecticut Homes and Commercial Fairfield Cty,CT reinct.com - Westport, CT
Residential & Commercial Real Estate Broker in CT

Oh yes Ive run into many of these quick flips and the do sell very quickly. A  client was so fixated on the kitchen, but only after moving in discovered  her "dream kitchen" had an awkward bad corner, where the dishwasher door would not lay open flat because of a handle perpendicular to it on the oven drawer.   So pretty of a kitchen, but not so well thought out for functionality.

Apr 25, 2015 08:06 PM
Sylvia Jonathan
Coldwell Banker Platinum Properties - Irvine, CA
Broker Associate, SFR

While my buyers are touring exclaiming WOW I look at quality problems, especially if I know it's a flip. Poor workmanship, especially paint jobs, is more common than good. People put lipstick on a pig to sell.

I point these items out to buyers and let them decide if they can deal with fixing the faults. More than one buyer has thanked me for having a trained eye.

May 09, 2015 11:44 AM
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Ray, in all my years, have never run into an undersized oven, OH MY!  That would have made me mad, but even here, they would not have to disclose, it is buyer beware!

Jun 01, 2022 12:32 PM
Ray Henson
eXp Realty of California, Inc. (lic. #01878277) - Elk Grove, CA
Realtor

It was a real challenge, Joan Cox, but we did do a kitchen remodel after a long period of time and I did get a great oven.  We did have to reconfigure the whole cabinet so it would fit.

Jun 02, 2022 05:54 AM