| Author | |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: May 11 2009 at 5:32pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
We are hoping to sell this house (just to move to a larger one here in town.. actually only a couple blocks away).. and I can guarantee that the current house color is NOT an attraction.. because we just drove around looking at houses and we pretty much dismissed the house until our realtor brought us here after we found out it had hard wood floors etc. It's a nice color but not for the outside of a house.
The current color did not help sell the house.. and it needs painting regardless.
Right now it's a sorta seafoam green in the main with white trim (including white under the main front window (horizontal vs vertical boards there, so should be the accent color) oh and the roof is a standard grey tile.
A few things I've read say that more than 2 colors tends to attract attention in a good way.. it doesn't have features that would suit a third color except perhaps the front door.
We're in a neighborhood with all single level ranch houses.. nothing fancy.. most of them are 2 colors.. the ones closest are.. to our left, tan with dk brown trim, across from that brick red with dk brown trim, directly across from us a mustardy yellow with hunter green trim, next to them a light blue with white trim, and on our right is a pale yellow with dk brown trim.
the lt blue house and our current color (both being pastels and more cool colors) work well together but not with the other houses.. and I want to shift that to working with the majority of the houses around us.
I want to keep the white trim just because that will be easy.. so just changing the main color of the house to a different shade of green or something.. not yellow and not dark brown.. I want it to look good with the others not match them And I think I want to keep it a lighter color but not a pastel looking color.. warm colors.. so sage green not seafoam.. and I think I'd really like to accent the door with another color.. the living room has warm white walls and one blue wall (sorta a denim/antique blue) I use red accents in the room.. so for the door a reddish color or maybe a couple shades darker of the main exterior?
yellow houses (soft clear yellow) are supposed to sell really well.. hmmm I could be convinced to a yellow I think but again there's several yellow houses around.. but it might still stand out.. being white and yellow.. and then i could probably use the same color blue that's already inside (in an exterior paint) for the front door and it would be a nice accent.
inside the house the master bedroom is a darker green with yellow undertones but not as drab as olive.. I actually like it and I don't normally like yellowy greens so.. the smallest room is a lovely warm sandy color.. but the girls room is an almost pastel light green.. I'm really thinking of repaint it.. bathroom is an off white and white sponged color.. you can hardly tell the sponging but what that did was let the whiter parts look good against the walls as well as the more creamy count/tiles so that the creamy ones don't look dirty.
And I wanted to do a soft yellow in the kitchen.. but think I'll stick with the same white in the rest of the house.
So to be clear I'm wanting opinions on
Exterior color - main color, white trim, white door or third color on the door
Girls room - a soft country blue sort of color in the girls room? white? another color?
Kitchen - creamy yellow or white? (accents are blue and darker yellow so that won't change.
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mary G
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5790
|
| Posted: May 11 2009 at 7:12pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Basically, we're home-buying aficianados   around here.
The important things to remember: curb appeal (thru plantings, house color and just the right "look") and pix of the INSIDE of the house for the online viewing ... doesn't matter what a realtor puts in the write-up ... if there are no pix to SEE the wood floors or great layout, than people won't go bother going and seeing just how perfect the house is ...
Also, prayers work wonders!  
__________________
MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: May 11 2009 at 7:26pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
makes sense Mary, so.. what are good colors for curb appeal?
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
DianaC
Forum Pro
Joined: March 27 2008
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 404
|
| Posted: May 11 2009 at 9:57pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Jodie,
I think a pale yellow with the white trim will set your house apart from the neighbors houses since they (almost) all have dark trim.
For curb appeal, I'd plant either impatiens or petunias in a variety of rose, lavenders, purples, and pinks and these colors will be a lovely contrast to the yellow house. These plants are low maintenance and will bloom continuously for you.
I would keep all of the interior wall colors very neutral.
Also, plan little vignettes throughout the house as much as you can. Ex: If you have a reading chair, place an open book on the seat with an open pair of glasses laying on the book and a carefully chosen throw draped over the back and arm of the chair. Also, be sure there is a reading light for the chair (and turned on).
These little "vignettes" make it easy for potential buyers to see ways that they would relax and enjoy the home.
Also, it helps to have classical music playing softly throughout the house.
Two of the biggest turn-offs for us when we were house hunting was dust and odor. It was really incredible to see that so many sellers de-cluttered and made the houses look tidy, but they really didn't tend to the dusting and that stands out for buyers. Also, any type of obvious odor - good or bad should be avoided. Cigarette smoke of course turns people away, but so can air fresheners, because buyers wonder if something is being covered up.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Carole N.
Forum All-Star
Joined: Oct 28 2006
Location: Wales
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4484
|
| Posted: May 12 2009 at 3:04am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Jodie, I would agree with keeping the inside a neutral color. Most people will paint the inside to the color that they want anyway, so it is best to stick with white/cream colors.
The outside is a different story. Having curb appeal is so important. The house that we sold had three colors; our siding was very light grey; the window trim had brown and tan (there was a lot of window trim). Then our doors were painted sundried tomato. It gave our house and arts and crafts look and people driving by the house noticed it.
If three colors is too much for your home, then pick the two colors, but don't be afraid to paint your doors a third color. I cannot really advise you on paint color. I just know what I like. But you could consult with an advisor at your local paint dealer.
Trimming up your garden is important as well.
And I agree with Diana's vignettes idea. It helps the house to look as if someone lives in it. Set your dining room table as it company were coming to dinner.
When we had open house, my dd used to bake chocolate chip cookies. It gave the house a very nice aroma. I once did not purchase a home because it had a strange smell in it. So I always kept candles burning, potpourri on the stove, or incense burners. Not to much of any one, but enough to create a nice fragrance in the home.
And lots of prayer. This is a good time to have a house on the market and St. Joseph will help you.
__________________
 Carole ... in Wales
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
CrunchyMom
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 03 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6385
|
| Posted: May 12 2009 at 9:04am | IP Logged
|
|
|
This Old House
Choosing Exterior Colors
This just came in my inbox, and I thought of you.
__________________
Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Bethany
Forum Pro
Joined: Oct 16 2006
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 299
|
| Posted: May 12 2009 at 9:30am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I feel I'm pretty experienced in the whole buying/selling also (6 homes in 10 years). I wouldn't paint anything inside blue, it's an iffy color and very personal. Most people cannot see past the cosmetics and will be turned off if they see a newly painted wall in a color they don't care for. I would paint a neutral, but not white color. I just painted my hallway to match our dining room and entry that was painted by the previous owners. The color is Sherwin Williams Kilm Beige. It looks very nice and contrasts just enough with the trim.
Also, what is the exterior style of your house? I've seen many homes in recent years be painted either a medium tan/taupe or a more gray taupe and both look so good. They look especially good with white or/black trim. Personally, you can hardly ever grow wrong with either a red or dark green door. I would definately put an accent color on the door.
__________________
Bethany
Wife to Mike, Mommy to Amelia (6/02), Sarah (10/03), Martha Grace (10/05), Rebecca Anne (12/07), Laura Catherine (3/10) and Reed Michael 7/4/14.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
LisaD
Forum All-Star
Joined: Dec 27 2005
Location: California
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 526
|
| Posted: May 12 2009 at 1:53pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Having just bought a house, I can say that the exterior color of ours really attracted me. It is a light yellow with white trim! The interior color is a very pale yellow throughout with white trim, and the floors are a medium hardwood. The overall effect is light and airy, and has a nice flow. We did paint the bedrooms before we moved in, but I think the light neutral colors made it much easier to picture our furniture/art in the house.
The one thing I would have liked to see, and still plan to do is paint the front door a color other than white. I would like a dark green, I think.
__________________
~Lisa
Mama to dd(99), ds(01), ds(03) and ds(06)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
Forum Locked) 
4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: colors to sell a house?
