Should I Paint Before Selling My Danville Home?

By Tiffany Stock, Real Estate Agent, CA DRE #01466776

Tiffany Stock is a real estate agent in Danville, CA helping sellers (including move-up families, luxury sellers, and those navigating a divorce or probate sale) get their home sold, personally, start to finish. Call 925-989-2138 or visit www.tiffstock.com.

Short answer

Often, yes. Fresh neutral paint is one of the cheapest things you can do that changes how a home looks in photos and in person. Paint is worth it when walls are scuffed, dark, dated, or a bold color. If your walls are already light, clean, and in good shape, you can usually skip it and spend the money elsewhere.

When painting is worth it

• Dark or heavily colored walls. Deep tans, reds, and golds make rooms look smaller and older, especially in photos.
• Scuffs, patches, and marks. Buyers read wear as "this house hasn't been cared for."
• Rooms that don't match. Every room a different color makes a home feel choppy. One consistent neutral ties it together.
• Kids' rooms and accent walls. They're personal, and buyers will mentally add "repaint" to their list.

What colors to use

Soft warm whites and light neutrals are the safest. They look clean in photos, work with most floors and furniture, and let buyers picture their own things in the room. Stay away from stark, bright white in a home with warm floors and trim. It can look cold.

Step-by-step

1. Walk the house and list every room that's dark, bold, or marked up.
2. Prioritize the rooms in the listing photos: living room, kitchen, dining room, and primary bedroom.
3. Get a painter's quote before you decide. Painting a whole interior is a bigger job than touching up a few rooms.
4. Fix the small stuff first. Patch holes and caulk cracks so the new paint looks finished.
5. Schedule paint before staging and photos. Paint, then staging, then photos, then the listing goes live.

A real example

On one of my Walnut Creek listings, the living and dining rooms had deep tan walls and heavy drapes. Lighter paint and staging made the same rooms look bigger, brighter, and updated. After a month of no offers, it sold after one weekend of open houses.

Common mistakes

• Picking a trendy color. Save the bold choices for the next buyer to make.
• Painting over problems. Water stains need the cause fixed and disclosed, not just covered up.
• Doing it yourself when you're short on time. Uneven paint looks worse than old paint.

FAQ

Should I paint the outside too?

Only if it's peeling or clearly faded. Touching up the front door and trim often does most of the work.

Will buyers pay more because I painted?

Paint mostly helps the home show better and sell with less haggling. Nobody can promise a specific dollar amount.

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Not sure which rooms are worth painting? Call Tiffany Stock at 925-989-2138 or visit www.tiffstock.com. She owns Tiffany Stock Staging and will walk the home with you before you spend a dollar.

Related reading: What should I fix before listing my Danville home? · Staging before and after: what changed when we staged a Walnut Creek listing

Keller Williams Danville, CA. Equal Housing Opportunity.