Thinking About Selling Your Home? Think About Paint!

Lots of Paint Choices for Sprucing up your Tehachapi HomeIf you’re thinking about selling your Tehachapi area home, think about how to make your home the one that sells.

We all know that getting houses sold in this market is tougher than it used to be.  Your competition is no longer the house down the street that is basically the same but has a little nicer backyard.  Now your competition is the 6 distressed sellers on the street that are listed for significantly lower prices than yours.  So, how do you compete?

One of the easiest ways to make a big impact is by painting.  It’s pretty easy for the average homeowner to do themselves, and it really does make a big difference in how the house shows.

Inside or outside? Do you need to paint the exterior or the interior.  Many times just painting the exterior trim is enough to make a big difference.  If the main house paint is okay (no chipping, peeling, etc.) just paint the trim.  Buy the highest quality paint you can find.  If the best paint is $35 a gallon and the other choices are $28 a gallon, recognize that the cheap paint won’t save you money.  It will likely be harder to apply, may not look as good and probably won’t last as long.

Focus on the interior. For most home sellers, the biggest impact will be from painting the interior.  Think about the impression you will make on potential buyers when they see your freshly painted home.  A freshly painted interior is an indication of care and maintenance throughout the house.  Buyers often feel more comfortable buying a house that they perceive as well-maintained.  In fact they are often willing to pay a premium for that perception when compared to other houses that don’t appear well cared for.

How to paint.     The Paint Quality Institute offers these tips for doing the job quickly and effectively:

  • Move Furniture Get as much of the furniture out of the room as you can.  Whatever you can’t move out, cover with plastic drop cloths and tape them in place.
  • Buy Good Paint As previously mentioned, inexpensive paint is not a bargain.
  • Tape the Edges Despite the fact that taping the edges seems to be the most time-consuming part of the job, it really does speed things up.  So, don’t skip this step!
  • Work from the top down Start with the ceiling, then the walls, then the windows and doors, and finally the baseboards.  Doing it this way minimizes the time and effort chasing after drips and runs.
  • Cut it in Applying a 3 inch band of paint around the corners will allow you to paint the remaining areas with a roller.
  • Apply Paint Generously As with buying the best paint, don’t skimp when it comes to applying it!  High quality paint will usually cover in one coat.  Don’t try to make a gallon go too far.

Follow these tips, do one room at a time and enjoy the fruits of your labor.  One of which will be the satisfaction you get from a freshly painted home!

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