I think of all the mistakes home owners can make is not spending a few dollars and getting their home painted before trying to place it on the market. Paint is a great neutralizer of tacky colors, kid tracks, it masks cooking odors, and cigar smoke. If you close your eyes in a home that is just painted and aired out, he smell of fresh paint wafting through he home may even let you think you are in a new home. Neutral paints can soften hard lime, lavender bisque, midnight mauve and many other decor infractions by well meaning home owners that watched one too many Flip this home shows! When you think about it, paint is really an inexpensive fix, and cure all. Years ago we had a seller that kept wanting to hold hands and pray why his home was not selling. He kept wanting to reduce price. I reminded him that I had not asked for one price reduction. He still insisted on prayer. After praying onetime, I turned to him and said "I hope you got the same answer I did!" He said "What was that?" I Said, " You need to paint your pink walls!" He said "They are not pink, they are mauve!" I told home, "Do you hear yourself? The same way you keep avoiding painting your home, is the same way the buyers are avoiding it! I cannot help it if the word paint contains PAINT!" He relented and painted, and we received multiple offers. The lesson is he was on the market for 1.5 years as a FSBO, and 3 months with us. The cost of the paint job was about $1000. He reduced the price of the home over 30K, all because the seller did not want to listen to the voice of experience. Buyers want to buy a home, not buy into a project.
Jim,
Did you copyright this stuff, or can I swipe it:
"Buyers want to buy a home, not buy into a project.
I cannot help it if the word paint contains PAINt!"
This time last year I was asked to give my opinion on a home and what it would take to sell it. I went out and looked. The home was on a heavily wooded lot with lots of shade. The shade had killed off the grass in most of the backyard, the front still had lots of grass. The trees had dropped lots of leaves that had settled on the roof and in the gutters. The home needed painting inside and out and the carpet needed replacing. But the home looked great, it had lots of wood and ceramic floors. I told the seller to clean the leaves off the roof, clean out the gutters clean the yard up, and if she wanted I knew a painter and carpet company that would do the work and not charge her until closing.
Another agent told her to just place new sod down on the yard. This would have made the backyard look nicer but remember there was lots of shade and it would have only killed the sod. A fescue grass is needed on heavily shaded lots and this has to be seeded and patience while it grows. The seller didn't have time for this.
Nonetheless I won the listing and immediately called the painter and carpet company and by weeks end the home had new carpet and had been painted inside and out. We sold the home in about 25 days. For full listing price.
Mike You can use it for personal use on your own presentations, not commercially. I don't have any problem with that, but I do have enough competition in the speaker arena! Since I do write a lot I hate giving up claim to those clear moments I get from time to time! LOL! Now that the pain is gone I can see clearly again! :) I have a few of my friends in Virginia were telling me they loved the project line I use.
Danny Success really is in the details isn't it?
This is a big pet peave of mine also. I have a big 5 gallon jug of neutral paint on hand at all times just in case I can't get my clients to see the light. Usually they will give in if you give them the paint.
On rare occassions I've seen sellers that won't repaint. Those are the ones that really are still emotionally attached to the home and not ready to mentally move out.
It makes a big difference!!
Great advise, it is very similar to a article I wrote awhile back for my print newsletter as advise to sellers to paint your way to profit.
Todd
Paint can make a huge difference. There is a beautiful Craftsman in town for sale. The yard is landscaped, they have completely redone the inside. The problem is they only painted the front. The sides and the back are wood siding with little paint left. I guarantee it would look great if it was painted but until it is buyers will see the house as a fixxer upper even though ut really isn't.
Rita
One more biggie of mine. Even if you are not going to paint all of it--paint the front door and surrounding trim. I can't tell you how many times the first words out of Buyer's mouth are the "shine" on the front door. It ranks right up there with cleaning the windows.
Jim
So much truth in such a good post. I agree with you 100% but it seems that some sellers think we own stock in the paint industry I guess. They really fight painting their wonderful purple dinning room! :)
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