10 Important Areas to Paint if You’re Planning on Selling Your Home

By Woodiwiss Painting | August 4, 2021

There are so many factors to consider when the time comes to sell your home. Along with getting married and having children, moving house is widely agreed to be one of the most stressful times in a person’s life. Your house needs to look as attractive as possible, both inside and out, so depending on how much work needs to be done, it has the potential to end up being a costly business. It may have been a while since you made any major changes but getting your house sale-ready does not necessarily have to involve huge renovations or costly repairs, a simple coat of paint is an incredibly cost-effective way of sprucing up your home, and it can really increase its appeal to potential buyers.

You don’t need to completely repaint your house from top to bottom but targeting these key areas may be an investment worth making.

 Exterior Areas

The Front Door

First impressions count, never more so than when selling a home, and the front door is often the first thing people see when they arrive at your house. The front door has the potential to appear either welcoming or unwelcoming, setting the tone for the rest of the house. In terms of effort vs impact on price, sprucing up the front door will require little effort and reap great rewards. However, be mindful of the color. Choosing a darker shade than the body of the house, such as black or brown, tends to make new homeowners feel welcome.

  1. The House Name or Number

Have you ever tried to find an address and ended up driving around aimlessly because the house number or name is not visible from the road? This is exactly what you want to avoid when potential buyers are visiting your house because it causes a bad experience as their first impression. Ideally, your house name or number should be easy to spot from the road. At the end of your driveway, or on your house, make sure it is big enough and bold enough to be easily identified by newcomers.

  1. Outdoor Decking, Balconies or Porches

Depending on where you live, outdoor space may be one of the most sought-after features of a house. Whether your home has a garden, a front porch, rear decking, or balconies, if these areas are well-kept and well-maintained, it gives a fantastic first impression to visitors. Conversely, if the paint is peeling, the iron rusting, the wood rotting, or the decking sun-bleached and dull, it gives the impression of a house not cared for, and the potential cost of repairing it may put off prospective buyers.

  1. Garden Fences or Gates

A picket fence around a garden creates a feeling of privacy and can really add to the appeal and attractiveness of a home, however, similar to the decking, peeling or chipped paint on a fence or gate really detracts from the beauty of the house. This is a simple job which can add easy appeal to potential buyers.

  1. The Garage Door

Giving your garage door a fresh coat of paint is a no brainer, purely because of how much space it takes up at the front of your house. Along with the front door, the garage may be the only other part of the house that a visitor can see from the outside and can often suffer a hard life due to the nature of its purpose. A freshly painted, well-cared for garage door could make all the difference to the curb appeal.

  1. Window or Door Frames

Depending on the climate, some frames may begin to look shabby sooner than others, due to wind, rain, intense heat, or snow. Peeling paint, rotting wood or mildew gives the impression of a home that has not been cared for, and the cost of the repair job will unlikely be an appealing prospect to buyers.

Interior Areas

  1. The Living Room

 For many prospective buyers, the living room is the main focus for choosing their new home. When walking into the space where they will likely spend most of their downtime, the first impressions of the living space can make or break a decision. The main living space needs to appear bright and spacious, and it is amazing what a difference a fresh coat of paint can make. As with many areas of your home, choose your color carefully, sticking with neutral or light tones, as you do not want the color to instantly detract from the rest of the space.

  1. Kids’ Bedroom Walls

In general, bedroom walls are not a major selling point of a house, but there is the possibility that your children may not have taken the same care over the walls that you have. Height marks, doodles and cartoon characters on the walls may have been appealing to your family, but they probably won’t be to the next one, so give them a clean slate by repainting those children’s bedroom walls.

  1. Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen cabinets have a hard life, and if not cleaned regularly, can amass a huge build up of grease and dirt from cooking. Kitchen cabinets are in the firing line for oil, fat, and cooking splatters, which over time can damage paintwork. For many potential buyers, the kitchen is the major selling point of a home, and you want to avoid their first impression being that the kitchen will need immediately replacing or repainting. A coat of paint and new hardware can make the entire kitchen look like new.

  1. Bathroom Cabinets and Trims

A bright and spacious bathroom is a great selling point of a home, and light, bold colors help to create this impression. A dark bathroom feels immediately smaller and dirtier, and no matter how often a bathroom is cleaned, over time there will inevitably be small signs of wear creeping in, such as peeling paint or chipped skirting boards. A fresh coat of paint, in perhaps a lighter, more neutral tone, will do wonders for giving your bathroom a fresh, clean feel.

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