One of the easiest and least expensive things you can do to make your home attractive to potential buyers is to give your rooms a fresh coat of paint. If you’ve painted in recent years and the colors are fairly neutral, then you can probably get away with a few tweaks here and there.
On the other hand, if you have very vivid wallpaper or colors or you haven’t updated your color scheme in a while, you might want to think about replacing them with a fresh coat of paint. When you put your home on the market, the goal is to make it as attractive as possible, which is why real estate agents always tell you to choose a neutral color. That way, people notice your home and all of its great features, rather than being distracted by the paint color. But how do you choose the right neutral from the thousands available? Here are some failsafe options.
White vs. Colour: You may think that painting everything white is the safest way to do it, but white is not the ideal neutral in most cases. White tends to be cold, harsh, and unappealing as a wall color. That does it Works well as a trim or joinery color and makes a good contrast to more colored walls. Some good targets to trim:
Benjamin moore White dove (a warm white that is not too gray, not too yellow)
Pratt and Lambert White Designer (clean and bright)
Behr Swiss coffee (Taupe undertones, goes well with muted wall colors)
Hot vs. cold neutrals for walls: Even neutrals like beige or tan have warm or cool undertones, which is a key consideration depending on the room they’re used for. Warmer colors stimulate the senses (and appetite) which is why they are best used in the kitchen and the main “social” areas of the home. Cool colors like blues, greens, and grays tend to calm and relax. They work well in bedrooms and bathrooms.
Recommended warm neutrals:
Benjamin moore Lenox tan (neutral midtone from the Pottery Barn collection)
Hardware restoration Saffron (a warm, buttery beige)
Recommended cold neutrals:
Hardware restoration Cappuccino (a cool mole)
Benjamin moore Classic Gray (a creamy, cool and airy gray)
Benjamin moore Mesquite (a light moss grayish green)
Benjamin moore Atmospheric (a darker grayish blue from the Pottery Barn collection)
