Down your paint brushes now or risk devaluing your property

When it comes to getting a property ready for sale, there is a recommended set of presentation steps to follow: declutter, depersonalise and redecorate. On the latter, it’s advised that vendors step back and look at their walls, ceilings and woodwork to see what condition they’re in.

Scuffs, grubby fingerprints, cracks and chips to paintwork will instantly cheapen a property, making it look neglected and worn. Additionally, the old adage is true - first impressions count when viewing a property. Some purchasers will find it difficult to visualise what a room would look like in a different shade and they may be put off by bold colour schemes.

Poor paint choices put purchasers off

In fact, a recent study by The Paint Shed found nearly 4 in 10 property buyers would offer less for a house they were interested in purchasing based on the colour scheme alone, while nearly 1 in 5 would be put off from making an offer completely. 

Thankfully, tatty walls and unusual paint colours can easily be fixed with some filler, sandpaper and a fresh coat of paint but on the latter, it pays to be careful when choosing a new colour. Reports suggest that the wrong shade can devalue a property by thousands of pounds but what are the colours to steer clear of? An interiors expert at Rezigo, Jenny Chu, says dark colours are the biggest offenders.

Avoid anything bleak or bold

She advises homeowners who may have embraced dark blue, dark grey and dark green as fashion colours to repaint them if they want to improve their home’s value. Jenny also says soon-to-be-sellers should look beyond their walls and also repaint kitchen cupboards if they’re decorated using dark colours.

The Paint Shed’s survey revealed a different set of colours that should be banned when redecorating to sell. It found fuchsia pink to be the most undesirable paint colour for the home, closely followed by neon pink, yellow and green. Black, bold red, hot orange and electric blue also made the top ten list of paints to avoid for a quick property sale. 

Buy these paint colours instead

Interior and property experts agree that potential sellers want to see a blank canvas so it’s easy for them to project their own ideas onto a property. People overwhelmingly prefer neutral colours (33%), followed by earthy tones (25%), according to The Paint Shed’s survey.

If in doubt, you can’t go wrong with white, magnolia or cream. If you really want to add colour, stay at the ‘hint of’ or pastel end of the paint spectrum to ensure interiors are light and airy. While grey has crept into more homes over recent years, it’s quite a divisive colour and can feel dull if the wrong hue is used.

Break the rules for your front door

While the unanimous advice is to go for light and bright when repainting inside a property, the opposite is true when it comes to front doors.

A study by Safestyle found residences with red front doors can see their value increase by approximately 36%. There’s also good news for those that aren’t brave enough to repaint with scarlet, crimson or burgundy. Homes with grey front doors were found to sell for 20% above the national average, followed by black (11% above) and blue (2% above).

If you would like an unbiased opinion on the presentation of your property ahead of a sale, please get in touch.