Should I Paint My House Before Selling? Pros, Cons & Colours

Posted by Justin Havre Real Estate Team on Monday, October 14th, 2024 at 10:42am.

When considering whether to paint your house before selling it, weigh the potential benefits against the costs involved. A fresh coat of paint can enhance a property's overall look and feel, but is it always necessary? Factors such as market conditions, property conditions, and desired selling prices all play a role in this decision-making process.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a licensed real estate professional before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

4 Reasons Painting a House Adds Value

Enhances first impression for buyers
Can lead to selling your home faster
Facilitates emotional connection for buyers
Is one of the few home improvements with over 100% ROI

Should I Paint My House Before Selling?

In short, the answer is often yes. Painting your house before selling offers multiple benefits, such as creating a better first impression on potential buyers. It's also a relatively cheap upgrade that provides a fantastic return on investment by increasing the overall value of your home.

Better First Impression

Enhancing the first impression of a property with a fresh coat of paint before selling it can significantly impact potential buyers' perceptions and decision-making processes. A well-painted house gives the impression of being well-maintained and cared for, signalling to buyers that the property is in good condition. This initial positive perception can set the tone for the viewing, making buyers more receptive to the property's features and potential.

New exterior paint increases curb appeal, sometimes dramatically so. With better curb appeal and better first impressions, a house will generally spend less time on the market.

Blank Slate for Buyers

There's a reason why home sellers tend to repaint rooms white before selling. A neutral color palette lets buyers easily imagine their own style in a room, rather than subtracting the seller's personal style first. Depersonalization is an important step of staging your home and will expand your pool of potential buyers.

A new coat of light-coloured paint can also help brighten up a dingy room or enhance the effect of natural light, making it more visually appealing. Using neutral paint colours can also create an illusion of larger, cleaner rooms in listing photos, which is highly attractive to potential buyers.

High ROI: Can Pay for Itself

Before selling a property, considering the potential return on investment from repainting can be a strategic decision for homeowners looking to maximize their home's value. Interior painting can raise the sale price by as much as 5%, attracting more buyers with a fresh and appealing look. The ROI is even better if you're confident you can do a high-quality DIY.

Exterior painting potentially increases home value between 2% and 5%. It's a bit more difficult to calculate the value of an exterior paint job; some sources put it at well over 100% ROI, while others give it around 55%. However, you'll never know how many buyers might skip your listing if they see chipped or faded paint in the photos, or how many buyers will walk in wondering what other maintenance has gone untended.

Reasons Not to Repaint Your House Before Selling

Selling in a strong seller's market may mean that repainting won't significantly impact the sale. Your specific property may also have features that drive up the labour costs of professional painting, lowering the ROI.

Consulting with a real estate agent can provide valuable insights into whether repainting will offer a worthwhile return on investment, given the current market conditions and property specifics.

When a Strong Seller's Market Means It Won't Matter

In a robust seller's market, the necessity of repainting your house before selling may diminish. Strong market conditions often result in high demand for homes and multiple offers, potentially leading to quick sales without the need for repainting. Buyers are generally less picky about paint when they're competing to secure an attractive price or location.

That's not to say that fresh paint won't still increase the home value; it's just that a seller might not feel it's worth the time and hassle when the home is likely to sell fast (and potentially above asking) regardless. Opting to sell your house without repainting in a hot market can be a time- and cost-saving decision, letting you reduce a bit of the home-selling stress.

When You Need to Sell As Fast as Possible

A full house repaint is no quick feat. DIY home exterior painting, especially, can potentially take weeks with the prep work involved. If you need to close quickly, you may not have time to get your house repainted. (You might also consider selling for cash—cash homebuying companies close very fast, and you can also skip other big home renovation projects.)

When Your Paint is Still in Good Condition

Ask your real estate agent for advice on this one—it could be that you've just stopped noticing any flaws in your home's paint job due to familiarity. But if your paint is still relatively recent and isn't showing signs of wear and tear, a repaint might not be worth the expense.

Tips For Painting Your House to Sell

When selling your home, it's important to use certain colours and consider neighbourhood aesthetics to ensure a positive impact on potential buyers.

What Colour Should I Paint My House?

Painting a House Exterior Enhances Curb Appeal

When selecting paint colours for the exterior of a house, consider the neighbourhood's architectural style to ensure your choice complements the area's aesthetic. Harmonizing with the neighbourhood's colour palette makes your house blend in seamlessly and is more attractive and desirable to potential buyers.

Avoid bold or unique colours that may stand out negatively compared to the surrounding houses. Instead, consider adding pops of colour through landscaping, or even the front door, which is much easier for a new homeowner to repaint than an entire house exterior.

What Colour Should I Paint My House Interior?

To enhance the marketability of your house when preparing to sell, consider using neutral colours like beige, grey, and off-white to appeal to a wider range of potential buyers. Neutral tones are less likely to clash with buyers' existing furniture and decor, making it easier for them to visualize themselves living in the property. Not many buyers are put off by neutral colours, either, which means your buyer pool is wider.

This doesn't mean that you have to paint your walls white before selling your house—that can look sterile and unwelcoming. The best paint colours to sell a house favour warmer off-whites, greys, and beiges to create a cozier atmosphere.

In addition, it's easier to create a cohesive look that flows throughout the house when the unifying colour goes with everything. As an added bonus, painting in light colours makes it easier for the new homeowner to paint over later to fit their personal taste.

Homes painted in neutral colours tend to photograph well, increasing online views and attracting more potential buyers. By opting for neutral shades, you can create a welcoming and adaptable environment that maximizes the appeal of your house on the market.

Tips for Painting Your House

Make sure to prep the right way. A home has to be prepped before painting, or the new paint may not look right when it is done. For sellers who are re-painting their homes' exteriors, the prep work can be more important than the final coat itself. It may be necessary to scrape the old paint off, pressure wash the house, make repairs, or otherwise make changes.

Take your time. While it's understandable that sellers want to get the home painted and on the market, cutting corners and doing a sloppy job can reduce the home's value and make it less likely to be sold quickly.

In some cases, it's better to hire someone else. Houses that are very tall or intricate or houses that have specific problems that need to be addressed may be better off with professional painters.

Local codes and regulations matter when painting a house. Be sure you know what those codes are and whether you need any permission to paint your home, particularly if you have a homeowners' association.