There are a number of exterior colors home sellers should avoid. Few things are more frustrating as putting so much effort into getting a home ready to sell, only for it to linger on the market month after month. It’s widely known depersonalizing, decluttering, and disinfecting are necessary. Most home sellers also know it’s best to spruce up curb appeal as buyers form an impression of a home in just 7 to 10 seconds. While that’s a very short amount of time, it’s more than enough to turn away potential buyers.
Exterior Colors Buyers most Like
Whether you’re selling your primary residence or need to sell a rental home with tenants or one that’s currently unoccupied, a good deal of preparation is needed. The selling process is more than simply setting an asking price and then staking a sign in the front lawn. Remember, buyers are looking for a home, preferably one that’s move-in ready. For this reason, home sellers tend to focus all their efforts on the interior.
“When decorating a home it’s easy to appeal to your own personal taste: A kitchen painted your favorite shade of red, or a brightly colored statement chair in your living room, can instantly make a new house feel like home. But, if you’re ever planning to sell your home, you should know how your color choices now will affect a buyer’s view of your home later. In a recent survey by Better Homes and Gardens, 400 homeowners were polled on the colors they’re most and least attracted to. The results showed strong preferences—not just for color in general, but also for how and where each hue was used.” —Realtor.com
While the interior does need to make a good impression, it’s not all buyers will consider. If you want to sell your home for top dollar, just as much effort needs to go into the exterior. From the landscaping, to the porch, to the yards, all of these will play important roles. The same holds true for the exterior color. Nearly half, 40 percent of home buyers, prefer white. Beige is also a good performer, as well as most neutral colors. These all work well because accents can be added, like bolder colors on the front door and trim.
Exterior Colors Home Sellers should Avoid
A beautiful fresh coat of exterior paint is one sure way to make your property pop. This is a relatively inexpensive way to completely refresh the look of a house, averaging about $2,600, compared to repainting the interior, which averages $1,660, according to Market Watch. The most desirable interior colors in 2016 are greys and shades of white, accompanied by natural greens. But beware certain colors, because buyers tend to shy away from these. Here are the exterior colors home sellers should avoid:
- Black. No surprise here. Unless you’re selling a haunted mansion, black isn’t a good exterior color for a number of reasons; and, it’s not difficult to guess why. Black creates a foreboding feeling, emits an unwelcoming vibe, and makes the home look smaller. Dark grey with a white or off white trim is acceptable but black is definitely the kiss of death.
- Tree or forest green. The problem with tree and forest green is both tend to blend into the grass a little too well. If there are trees in the front of the house, the home practically disappears when painted tree or forest green. This doesn’t mean greens are bad, just more appropriate for other uses. An off white with tree or forest green accents is perfectly fine.
- Bright yellow. Although yellow evokes a happy and quite cheerful feeling, it’s sensory overload when it comes to lemon or sunflower tones. Bright yellow is just overwhelming, especially when it is so prevalent, front-and-center. Like green, yellow is fine, that is, if it’s used in accents.
- Dark brown. Dingy, dirty, uninviting, and somewhat depressing, dark brown is not a good exterior home color. Even shades like putty, though very popular, are potential turn-offs. Once again, dark brown isn’t bad, if it’s used in accents, along with an off white or other neutral color.
- Pink. This color certainly qualifies for the obvious list of no-nos, because it’s such a personal choice. Pink might be a soothing color but it will cause buyers confusion. What’s more, unlike the previous colors on the list, pink doesn’t even make a good accent color.
Stick with a neutral exterior color and if you must be bold, do so with the front door and trim. If you’d like to know more about how to ready your home for sale, phone me at 407-616-7286, I’ll be happy to speak with you.