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The Cheapest Way to Renovate-- The Amazing, Wonderful Can of Paint!

By
Home Stager with Rose-Colored Staging

Yes, a simple can or two of paint can totally transform your home!  Paint is, hands-down, the least expensive change to your home you can make, adding the biggest impact.  If you are not sure how much "bang for your buck" you can get just from picking up a roller, just take a look: 

This bathroom from a home in Mt. Holly was indeed hard on the eyes!  With outdated foil-like wallpaper, pink tile and flooring, everything about this bath would surely frighten most buyers away!  Since the very limited budget did not allow for updating anything else, we simply painted the walls white and replaced the blind.  We then used white accessories to calm down the pink that remained.

 

This kitchen from a home in Willingboro has outdated metal cabinets, and a very dated counter.  And the green floral wallpaper was not doing it any favors!  Even the lovely little built-in hutch in the hall was lost in the chaos.  Renovating was not an option so we enhanced what we could by removing the wallpaper and painting the walls a beige color that actually made the cabinets look warmer and nicer.  We used the same beige color to make the hutch "pop" and with a bit of de-cluttering and red accents, this kitchen was ready to show! 

     

 

This last little gem was truly designed for the homeowner's taste-not the buyer's!  This bath would have been right at home at a bed & breakfast in Cape May, but in Eastampton, NJ, buyers were saying, "No Way!"  We removed the gold ceiling wallpaper, black floral wallpaper, and lace so we now have a clean, light and fresh bath, sure to appeal to the buyers!

 When getting your home ready to place on the market, it is not always necessary to completely update everything!  The goal is not to have a perfect house, but to have a house that allows buyers to imagine the possibilities-- to see themselves living there. 

If you are considering placing your home on the market, call Rose-Colored Staging for a consultation!  We can tell you what changes you should make to your home that will give you the most "bang for your buck" and will help get your house sold!

 

 

Michele Rose is a Realtor and Professional Home Stager in Burlington County, NJ.  She has been assisting both buyers and sellers with their real estate needs for the last 5 years.  In 2007, she formed Rose-Colored Staging to help sellers market their homes with professional home staging.

  

Show All Comments Sort:
Cindy Bryant
Redesign Etc. Home Staging - Houston, TX
"Houston Home Staging Pros"

Can't believe that wallpaper in the bathroom and the blinds too...wow, big difference.

Sep 14, 2009 04:48 PM
Michele Rose
Rose-Colored Staging - Mount Holly Township, NJ
Burlington County Home Staging & Redesign

Robert:  I really don't know why more people don't do it-- I'm guessing the elbow grease involved :-)

Maureen:  Thanks!  Nothing makes a room pop like red!

Ginger:  That hutch was adorable and it was under-used and fading into the background.  When the wall was painted and it was staged with china, it amazed us (and the homeowner)!

Beverly:  A valance would have been nice!  At the time, we were just so glad to see the foil wallpaper and blind gone, we didn't want to add anything.

Lori Kim:  Thanks so much and yes-- a can of paint can be disastrous without consulting a stager about the color!

Thanks Cathy Lee!

Cindy:  The owner had even had the blind specially made with the wallpaper on it and really did NOT want to let it go!  It took her 2 daughters, the realtor, and 2 stagers to convince her!

Sep 14, 2009 06:04 PM
Pangaea Interior Design Kitchen & Bath Design, Remodeling
Portland Oregon - Portland, OR

Michele - congrats on getting rid of that foil wallpaper! I recently went into a property that had wild foil wallpaper in several rooms. It hurt my eyes!! Buyers just can't see past that kind of thing! Nice jobs you did. i especially like the new blue bathroom. Very pretty. Was a real eyesore before.

Sep 14, 2009 06:20 PM
Jackson West
Reveal Estate Home Staging - Vancouver - Vancouver, BC

Great post Michele! That foil wallpaper is outrageous. I tell my clients and students that "paint is money in a can".

Sep 14, 2009 06:47 PM
Michele Hess
Simply Staged Inc. - Rockford, IL
Home Stager Rockford - Simply Staged Inc

Great examples of what a simple can of paint can do when preparing your home for sale. 

Sep 14, 2009 10:37 PM
Kimberly Uksik
Independent - Pickering, ON
Home Stager - Durham, Toronto, On.

Michele ~ Great job!  Pictures speak a thousand words without costing a thousand dollars

Sep 15, 2009 12:53 AM
Kate Talarico
Kates Home Staging and Interior Design - Goshen, NY
RESA, Top Orange County Home Decorator & Stager

The "after" bathroom picture looks fantastic.  Thank goodness that wallpaper is gone.  Great job.

Sep 15, 2009 04:25 AM
Kathleen Lordbock
Keller Williams Realty Professionals - Baxter, MN
Keller Williams Realty Professionals

paint paint paint - so inexpensive so effective

Sep 15, 2009 08:17 AM
Michele Rose
Rose-Colored Staging - Mount Holly Township, NJ
Burlington County Home Staging & Redesign

Pangaea:  That foil stuff was hideous and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it!  The blue bathroom still amazes me too-- it doesn't even seem like the same bathroom.

Jackson:  "Money in a can!"  I'm going to use that!  So true!

Michele:  Simple paint and a bit of work-- it's just not that hard!  Thanks!

Kimberly:  Thanks!  In the midst of staging. I don't always remember just how bad it was until I go back and see the before pics.  That's when I get the full impact!

Kate:  I'm also a realtor and I don't think I've ever heard a buyer say, "I love that wallpaper!" but even these baths were over the top crazy!  And I swear the rooms got twice as big when the paper came down :-))

Kathleen:  True, true, true! :-))  Thanks!

 

Sep 15, 2009 09:05 AM
Leanne Zumbrunnen
Z Touch Design Services - Lenexa, KS

I love paint ... and wallpaper removal products!  Great job.  Everthing looks so fresh and clean. 

Just wanted to tell you that my step-mother has foil wallpaper in her bathroom... on the ceiling, the walls, the door trim, the door and even over the vertical blinds that are used as a shower curtain!  It's what the previous owner had and she has not changed it.  It's not on the market but you know I'm dying to get my hands on it when it is!!

Sep 15, 2009 02:54 PM
Karen Dembsky
Peachtree Home Staging LLC, Home Staging in Atlanta, GA - Peachtree City, GA
Atlanta Home Staging

Much better -- a job well done.  I think this is a great example of Paint before and afters for realtors to use!

Sep 15, 2009 11:51 PM
Michele Rose
Rose-Colored Staging - Mount Holly Township, NJ
Burlington County Home Staging & Redesign

Leanne:  I totally understand!  I could not wait to get rid of it!  As soon as it came down, even with the walls still messy, it was a big sigh of relief.  LOL- the door trim too?  Too funny!

Karen:  Thanks so much!  I would love for more realtors to use these to "inspire" their sellers!

Sep 16, 2009 10:56 AM
Kim Dillon
Creative Eye Home Staging - West Chester, PA

Paint IS the absolute most bang for the buck!  Nice photos to illlustarate the point.

Sep 16, 2009 11:14 AM
Ana Hitzel
AccentPositives Home Staging - Corona, CA
Professional Home Stager Inland Empire

Michele, great examples of what you can do when working with only what you have and a small budget.  This explains to Realtors and Homeowners how valuable a good eye can be and still not cost a fortune! Great Job!

Sep 16, 2009 11:35 AM
Ginger Pugliese
EXIT Realty Eastcoast Shirvanian - Holmdel, NJ

Michele,

 

I LOVE before and after photos...and I love the fact that even WE as Stagers are amazed at the afters!

Sep 16, 2009 11:16 PM
Luci Terhune
Bungalow Home Staging & Redesign - Nutley, NJ
NJ Home Stager 973 896-6489

Michelle,

Yikes! That dark Victorian style bathroom looked like a dungeon. What a wonderful transformation for so little money. Great job and it was nice to meeting you this week.

 

Sep 17, 2009 01:17 AM
Michele Rose
Rose-Colored Staging - Mount Holly Township, NJ
Burlington County Home Staging & Redesign

Kim:  Thanks!  I like what Jackson said (above):  "Money in a can!"

Ana:  Staging can be done inexpensively!  The response to the "after" rooms from buyers was great and the homeowners did NO updating or renovating at all. 

Ginger:  Thanks-- I love too that we still get that staging "rush!" 

Luci:  Thanks and it was great meeting you too!  That home with the "Victorian" decor was overwhelming-- and then we saw the bathroom!  Yikes! 

Tina:  I recommend painting wood paneling and dark cabinets all the time.  Most often my clients don't have a lot of money to make big changes, but they're willing to do the work.  And you're right-- it needs to be the right color!  That kitchen color especially could have gone terribly wrong if the wrong color had been chosen!

Sep 18, 2009 05:34 AM
Wanda Richards
Shows Great Home Staging and Web Solutions - Roanoke, VA
Shows Great Home Staging

Michele - great post.  I am a real believer in what a can or two of paint can do.  You did a great job.

Sep 20, 2009 09:55 PM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Michele- Was out of town when you posted this but WOW what a great job you did.  I'm still floored over the bathroom.  Some of the best B&A's I've seen.

Sep 21, 2009 04:44 AM
Mary Strang
Viroqua, WI

Michele, For about $20.00 anyone can dramatically improve their sales chances by going neutral and decluttering, your photos prove it.

Sep 27, 2009 07:41 AM