When you’re preparing to sell your home, the to-do list can quickly feel overwhelming, but one of the most powerful ways to make a huge difference in your home’s appearance is paint—both interior and exterior. Wondering if you should paint your house before selling? It may make a bigger difference than you think. You’ve come to the right place for home staging tips centered on painting. Let’s explore paint colors, methods, and more to boost your home’s value and make the sale. 

Should I Paint My House to Sell?

While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to home painting, a good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that the right coat of paint can significantly increase the appeal of a home. Notice that this is the right paint—not necessarily the newest paint. There are plenty of hurried redos in homes that come off looking tacky, which can lower the home’s appeal. When considering whether to paint your house before selling, there are a few factors to keep in mind that we’ll explore here.

Choose the Right Colors

The first aspect of determining how to paint the house to sell is selecting the right colors. Color consideration will make the difference between a glow-up and a waste of time. A color consultation from experts will help you determine which colors to select. Many home staging tips focus on appearance, and the color of walls, cabinets, and other surfaces inside and out of the home will have a huge effect on the overall appearance. Even seemingly minor details, such as door frames or deck railings, may have a large impact on the client. If these elements are freshly painted or newly refurbished, they will be impressive selling points. If, on the other hand, the color is faded, chipped, or cracked, the entire home’s appearance can come off as old or in disrepair. 

It’s important to understand that there are no guaranteed home staging paint colors that will work in each house. Instead, experts can help recommend what makes sense with the home’s dimensions, floors, ceilings, architectural style, and more. There are always color trends to be aware of, as well as color meanings. So many aspects go into choosing the perfect home staging paint colors.

A white wall being painted gray using a short paint roller

Get a Paint Job That Lasts

While home staging paint colors are important, color is not the only consideration when it comes to painting your house before selling. Our next home staging tip is to consider a long-lasting finish. Quality materials will make a huge difference here, but you also really need to invest in experts to complete your project. A DIY job might actually defeat the purpose—quality paint jobs that improve the home’s value often require specialized equipment and the expert touch to ensure results that are in line with current market trends and general good practices. No one wants to have to go through the time, money, and hassle of a complete redo of the paint job that was completed insufficiently. 

Once it’s time to actually put the brush to the wall, you have to consider preparing the surfaces correctly. But again, the ultimate home staging tip is to hire local experts. Painting your house before selling can be a big undertaking, especially when it comes to exterior painting where there is damage or a need for power washing. When you work with a local team with experience both in painting and in providing clear communication, any exterior or interior paint job can proceed smoothly with positive results that’ll last beyond the next home showing.

Painting Different Areas of Your Home: What’s Most Important When Selling?

If you’re looking to paint your house before selling, not all areas of the home are created equal. When potential buyers come through the house on a tour, what are they going to look at? Probably not the door jambs in the basement. But the outdated crown molding or warped wooden siding in the master bedroom may catch their eye—even if you just updated all the bathrooms with fresh coats of paint. An up-to-date kitchen can still look dated with wallpaper that’s not in style or cabinets that could use some refurbishing. There are no automatic answers to what needs to be painted in your home. Experts can help you find what is most important to get repainted before the realtors bring in the first tour.

Consider this home staging tip: people remember what they see first and last. This applies in a broad sense—people will remember the home’s exterior as a first impression as well as the indoor entryway area. But there is also a more detail-oriented aspect to apply here. The “little” details—doors, windows, cabinets, ceilings, floors—all add up to make the full picture of a home. When you are working on home staging, paint may be required not just for walls, but for other aspects of the home. Let our experts provide professional advice through a complimentary consultation to help you determine how to paint your house before selling.

Not sure where to start after all these home staging tips? You can also look to our gallery for inspiration and ideas.

Find More Home Staging Tips

Overall, paint can play a powerful role in home staging if you play your cards right! If you are looking to paint your house to sell, you have to consider home staging paint colors as well as the quality of paint for your house. Before selling, there’s a lot to consider. That’s why it’s best to find experts who can provide support all the way through the project. Liberty Painting offers decades of experience painting and more, right here in the Houston area. Explore more of our home staging tips here in our tips and tricks section, or reach out to us directly for personalized assistance.