Vancouver’s real estate market has been at an all time high for a decade, how do you make your home stand out during a downturn?

Realtors can stage your home, and bring those buyers that are still in the market, but nothing sells a house like a crisp clean slate for buyers to build their dreams on.

What you don’t want is serious buyers noticing dents, cracks, gaps, chips, hand prints, stains, and other imperfections that dissuades them from trusting you and your home. The condition of the exterior and interior surfaces is an indicator of the rest of the property, you don’t want buyers to make any negative assumptions!

Realty companies like Remax and Realtor.ca recommend painting as an affordable way to get the most return for your sale, follow these tips to get the most value out of your repaint. You can expect returns of 60% to +100%. That’s $1,600 to $2000 more resale value for every $1000 spent on painting!

To maximize your curbside and interior appeal you’ll want your home to look clean and well maintained. The steps to accomplishing an inviting and higher value home is cleaning, repairing, and painting.

Cleaning

For the exterior of your home, pressure washing is the easiest way to give a full cleaning, it’s essential to remove dirt, mildew and mold, and can be arranged through a professional painting company. Painting companies will focus on the paintable/stainable surfaces, so make sure to request they provide a full pressure washing to gutters, soffits, brick, and other areas you may not need painting. The last thing you want is half your home looking refreshed and the other half looking dirty, old, or damaged. With a new finish of paint or stain, the contrast between the unwashed and refinished areas will be dramatic!

Pro Tip:

Interior cleaning is straightforward and can be done by a professional painting company when they come in to paint. It’s important to degrease and remove dust and dirt from walls before painting so the paint adheres properly. Make sure this is included with your quote.

To save on your interior quote, you should schedule the painting for after you are moved out. If this is not possible, decluttering and moving furniture for the painters beforehand will allow them to efficiently clean, repair, and repaint quickly and can pass along those cost savings to you.

Repair

You might be thinking that it’s not worth spending the money on repairs as you will be selling your home anyway, but if a buyer notices any imperfections, they’ll begin looking for more. Even small issues can leave a buyer feeling hesitant and questioning about other problems the property may have. Painting will make it look brand new, but it’s only as good as the surface that it’s being applied to.

A professional painting contractor will be able to provide all minor repairs for rejuvenating your home and point out any major repairs or problems you may not be aware of. It’s important to share as much information as possible about imperfections you’ve noticed and the home’s history so the professionals can recommend the right remedy for you.

Pro Tip

For exterior, common repairs are to the wood: warped, rotten, and otherwise damaged wood you notice should be shared with your painting professional. Typically this is caused by water damage so share with your contractor if there was any gutter or roof problems in the past. For other materials such as stucco and vinyl, ask your painting contractor as they’ll typically be able to recommend other trust professionals.

For interior, you should have a much better idea of the areas requiring work. Share with your contractor that you’re planning to sell and point out any of these problem areas. They’ll recommend the best aesthetic repairs for the least cost. These typically include caulking trim, filling and sanding damaged drywall, and sealing stains.

Paint

Now that your home is clean and repaired, it’s ready for a fresh coat of paint. Or I should say, two or more coats of paint. For both interior and exterior it’s recommended to always paint two full coats. One coat may look okay from afar, but up close it may show through the old paint underneath, making it look like a cheap bandaid for your home! This includes all surfaces of your home, walls, trim, doors, and cabinets. Sometimes you can get away with not having to repaint ceilings, but they’re especially important if there are any cracks or stains.

When you share you’re selling your home with a professional painter they’ll be able to recommend the colours that will give your home the most curb appeal.

Here are guidelines for selecting paints and colours to sell.

For exterior, a two-tone colour scheme between the siding and trim will be a great balance between accentuating your home’s features and not spending extra on additional paint and time for using multiple paint colours. Typically a white or dark trim with neutral siding is best. Stick with a flat or low sheen siding colour to hide imperfections and a higher sheen trim to make for a pleasant contrast. Be cognizant of the rest of the property and environment around your home so that everything goes together smoothly.
Your front door should be inviting and not bland, consider a darker colour door for a nice pop and to increase the perceived value of your home!
For interior, stay light and neutral. Areas with lots of light you can go brighter and darker. Areas with low light stay with light colours!
Ceilings should stay white, it will reflect the light and make the room seem much brighter.
Trim and doors can stay white or the same colour as your walls, professional painters can offer a discount for rooms that baseboards and frames are the same colour as the walls because of the lesser amount of paint used; this also creates the illusion of a larger space!
Don’t go too dark. If you’re sticking to classic two-tone with white trim and coloured walls, you can go a little darker to help the contrast and use a higher sheen on the trim and doors to make them more durable and easier to wash. If you’re on a budget, focus on the bathrooms, foyer, and kitchen first, these are the areas you want standing out the most!

When you or your professional painters are done you’ll find that your home looks brighter, bigger, and blemish free! Any responsible buyer will notice the home was treated properly and will make it an easier decision for them to make it their home.

Real Estate