If people stop
dead in their tracks
to admire your
residence, your
house has curb
appeal.
According to
the National
Association of
Realtors, curb
appeal sells more
than half of all
houses that go on
the market. At the
very least, it makes
buyers take notice,
gets them across the
sidewalk or yard and
inside the front
door.
Real estate
agents say that when
you couple curb
appeal with pricing
the house
appropriately, that
figure climbs to 90
percent. What kind
of property it is
has a bearing on how
it is perceived, but
generally, the
tidier, fresher and
cleaner it looks,
the more curb appeal
it has. And painting
is key.
Painting can
be very expensive,
but it is the least
expensive way to get
the biggest return
on your investment.
Because painting is
a maintenance issue,
you can't say to a
buyer, "Well, I
spent X amount on
painting." But the
expense of painting
definitely will be
reflected in the
quality of the
buyer's offer.
In the
new-home market,
exterior coloration
is both art and
science. For years,
builders felt
comfortable choosing
exterior colors.
However, in the last
10 years, the
architect, designer
and, in some cases,
the land planner are
being brought in
early on in the
process to choose
exterior coloration.
While this
kind of input
consumes time and
money, the rewards
are huge. The
new-home market is
highly competitive.
If the colors strike
a chord with buyers,
customers will beat
a path to the
builder's door.
Single homes
have much more
flexibility in
color, but there
have to be limits.
Builders tend to
limit choices, and
homeowners
associations and
civic groups tend to
enforce those limits
long after the
builder has sold out
and moved on.
And for good
reason. How other
houses in a
neighborhood are
painted has a real
impact on how your
house is perceived
by a buyer. If the
house next door is
loud and
unpleasant-looking,
it will affect both
saleability and
price. |
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Do-it-yourself
guru Bob Vila said
he always tries to
encourage consumers
to "be kind to their
neighbors when
picking color
schemes. "If you
aren't sure what to
paint your house,
hire a consultant.
That will save you
money and
aggravation in the
long run.''
Even when no
one is telling you
what to paint your
house, the colors
you choose for your
house will elicit an
emotional response
in the buyer. But
what will turn a
buyer on?
Most buyers
can only see what is
in front of their
faces. They can't
see one color and
change it in their
mind's eye to
something they might
want. Then there is
the 5 percent who
can see past years
of neglect. What are
people finding
personally
satisfying?
According to a
national survey by
Sears Weatherbeater
Paints, more than 37
percent of all
Americans (23
million households)
would choose white
as the primary color
in painting the
exterior of their
houses.
In order of
preference, the
choices are white,
gray, blue, tan and
brown, cream, beige,
green, yellow and,
finally, red, Sears
said. Color is a
funny thing. If I
were choosing a
color for resale,
I'd go conservative.
Still, lighter
colors work better.
A house that is dark
isn't appealing. But
bold colors are a
risk.
In older
neighborhoods, a
subtle brick red, a
Williamsburg blue
and hunter green on
a stone house appear
to be good choices.
By and large,
though, you'll see
white and creams,
especially on the
trims, with a deeper
color for the door.
People want the feel
of the old, and
traditional colors
are nice and
soothing.
In newer
houses, the move is
toward the neutral.
Off-whites and clays
are popular for
trim. Front doors
seem to be the focus
of colors, even in
houses other than
townhouses.
Whatever your
personal preference,
you should always
keep resale in mind.
If you go off the
deep end of the
color spectrum, you
could affect not
only the value of
your house but that
of the entire
neighborhood. |
