The Role of Color in Selling a Home
The Role of Color in Selling a Home
Everybody knows about the psychological impact of color, but the crucial role that color plays in selling real estate isn’t always fully appreciated. Color can be one of the most important marketing tools for selling a home when you know how to use it, and here’s an example of how it can work.
New Homes
Recently I was asked to do a staging consultation for a new home in Hendersonville that had been on the market for over ten months without so much as a nibble. It's an attractive modular home that was built according to universal design principles, but the owners didn't know how to work with color, and neither did the contractor. As a result, the outside of the home lacked pizzazz and there was little curb appeal.
The owners were worried and money was very tight. It was a sad situation, made all the worse because it could have been avoided by addressing the issue of color harmony in the beginning. This is where a trained eye could have helped, and it would have been money well spent. Paint was a big part of the solutions I recommended, but how much better to get it right the first time!
Outside
The vinyl siding was painted yellow, the foundation was raw concrete, the front door and all other trim were pure white, there were forest green shutters and the lights were also pure white and visually disappeared. When you approached the house, apart from the need for more landscaping, all you saw was the large white garage door and the wooden handicap access ramp with two white downspouts. The pictures don’t tell the full story, but I assure you that it was not a welcoming impression!
Here’s what I suggested:
1. Paint the foundation and garage door in the yellow wall color. This is to create a more custom look so it seems less like a modular home placed on a pad.
2. Paint the white downspouts on the wheelchair ramp to blend with the wood so they “disappear”.
3. Paint the green shutters black so they look better with the siding color.
4. Paint the white lanterns black so they can be seen.
The goal was to create a unified, inviting appearance that features the front door, not the garage. I also recommended installing two ornamental trees and some additional shrubs so that the front looks less bare. Some of the landscaping and other work is still in progress, but what a difference color has made in the curb appeal of this house, especially around the front door.
Inside
My recommendations for the interior included painting the walls in a warm neutral color, Sherwin Williams Crescent Cream #SW7721. The budget didn't permit doing the whole interior, so we chose the most important spaces. The owners created vignettes in the living room and dining area with a few pieces of furniture and a few accessories, all dictated by their budgetary constraints.
Take a look below at the difference it made to add a warm color that flattered the wood in the kitchen and helped to “furnish” the living room, even though there’s still very little in it. Since these pictures were taken the sellers have added more plants, one of my favorite staging props, and other accessories such as color-coordinated towels for the bathrooms.
 living room before
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 living room after
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 kitchen before
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 kitchen after |
The painting was done by none other than Roger Ness of Sterling Property Services (I think the owners wanted to adopt him when they saw what a great job he did). See their thank you letter. Roberts Testimonial Letter
The cost of all the interior and exterior work, including the painting and landscaping, but exclusive of furniture that the sellers bought and plan to keep, was about $6,000. It's a lot of money, I agree, but much less than inevitable next large price reduction. Now all we need is some traffic, and the much improved views of the house in the "after" pictures will help create interest in seeing it.
If you have a client who is building a home, recommend getting help early in the process to develop a coordinated color plan that includes paint, cabinetry, flooring, counter tops, tile, carpet, etc. Not only will great colors add appeal, they’ll help to “furnish” the home when it goes on the market, reducing the cost of buying or renting furniture and accessories. Ideally there will be a relationship between the exterior colors and the interior ones to create harmony and maximum impact. Keep in mind that great colors can make the difference between the house selling and sitting, and they won’t cost a penny more — if they’re well chosen the first time.
Existing Homes
What about the color choices in existing homes? What about that dated wallpaper? We all know talking with the sellers about these things can create diplomatic problems because they can become defensive if they feel their decorating choices are being criticized. Sellers often aren’t realistic about the impact of that purple paint on the walls in their daughter’s room, or the decals, borders and vivid colors in the baby’s room. They’re accustomed to living with them, or perhaps the parent is unwilling to upset the child by making the changes that will help the house sell. That’s understandable.
In many situations with potential diplomatic problems, having a professional stager explain why paint is a good idea is much better than you doing it. It's important to remember that a professional stager is there to help
your seller, not to criticize them. If they're sensitive, one thing
that could make the consultation go more smoothly is for both of us to be there.
After all, it's a team effort and being there together reinforces that
impression and makes your team look stronger.
Sometimes the sellers are receptive to the recommendations, sometimes not. Sometimes the amount of work that would be required is more than they can afford or cope with. That's understandable too. In these cases editing and simplifying the contents of the house will reduce the negative impact of paint colors or dated wallpaper. There are always creative options for improving things, and many are no cost or low cost. If the sellers understand why the recommendations are being made, and have even a small degree of willingness to cooperate, much can be accomplished. See the related article, STAGING - THE KEY INGREDIENTS .
And at the very least if the recommendations have been presented and dismissed, you have more justification for a lower listing price and/or explaining a lack of buyer interest. Sometimes the seller will reconsider, but it’s much better for them to prepare the home to look its best at the beginning of the process so that no opportunity is wasted and the house sells at the best price in the shortest amount of time.
Vacant Homes
I think of vacant homes as a hybrid between new and existing ones. Often there are the sellers’ old color and design decisions that may not work for today’s buyers, combined with the emptiness of a new home. See the article on selling a vacant home for ideas on how to stage these properties. STAGING A VACANT HOME
Whether your client is trying to sell a new or existing home, consider a staging consultation. First impressions count! See my recent interview for the Asheville Citizen-Times Sandy interviewed for Asheville Citizen-Times column. There may be color and other issues that can be addressed economically to create the appeal to move the house into the "Sold!" column.
Remember that color is a powerful tool and it can help or hurt, depending on how well it’s used.
