Yes, a simple can or two of paint can totally transform your home! Paint is, hands-down, the least expensive change to your home you can make, adding the biggest impact. If you are not sure how much "bang for your buck" you can get just from picking up a roller, just take a look:
This bathroom from a home in Mt. Holly was indeed hard on the eyes! With outdated foil-like wallpaper, pink tile and flooring, everything about this bath would surely frighten most buyers away! Since the very limited budget did not allow for updating anything else, we simply painted the walls white and replaced the blind. We then used white accessories to calm down the pink that remained.
This kitchen from a home in Willingboro has outdated metal cabinets, and a very dated counter. And the green floral wallpaper was not doing it any favors! Even the lovely little built-in hutch in the hall was lost in the chaos. Renovating was not an option so we enhanced what we could by removing the wallpaper and painting the walls a beige color that actually made the cabinets look warmer and nicer. We used the same beige color to make the hutch "pop" and with a bit of de-cluttering and red accents, this kitchen was ready to show!
This last little gem was truly designed for the homeowner's taste-not the buyer's! This bath would have been right at home at a bed & breakfast in Cape May, but in Eastampton, NJ, buyers were saying, "No Way!" We removed the gold ceiling wallpaper, black floral wallpaper, and lace so we now have a clean, light and fresh bath, sure to appeal to the buyers!
When getting your home ready to place on the market, it is not always necessary to completely update everything! The goal is not to have a perfect house, but to have a house that allows buyers to imagine the possibilities-- to see themselves living there.
If you are considering placing your home on the market, call Rose-Colored Staging for a consultation! We can tell you what changes you should make to your home that will give you the most "bang for your buck" and will help get your house sold!
Michele Rose is a Realtor and Professional Home Stager in Burlington County, NJ. She has been assisting both buyers and sellers with their real estate needs for the last 5 years. In 2007, she formed Rose-Colored Staging to help sellers market their homes with professional home staging.
Holy cow! May I have your permission to use theses photos? I would love to show them on some of my listing appts. Great job--Great post!
Thanks so much! Feel free! When most people see the "befores" the room looks overwhelming. It doesn't always take much to transform a space!
You're so right. Paint can go a long way. It would be nice if people used it. Imagine the results.
Michele, Thanks for your response. I really appreciate it
Michele ~ All of your examples in this post are stellar transformations showing that paint can make a world of difference when a home is on the market. Great work! I love the red accents in the kitchen.
Michele, great transformations. I'm in the middle of a painting project and I got a gallon of paint for just $15. (with a rebate) Now any seller can afford that cost, even if it takes 2 gallons. Love how you made the hutch stand out with a new paint color. It's always interesting to know that every community and stager has these types of challenges.
WOW! Maybe you should be the commercial for a paint company! The pink bathroom window frame could be softened wtih a white valance.
It is so amazing how one can of paint can change a room. To all homeowners, and investors, this is your best investment, besides consulting with a stager! Nice blog Michele.
Great examples you have here-wow!! Great job!
Can't believe that wallpaper in the bathroom and the blinds too...wow, big difference.
Robert: I really don't know why more people don't do it-- I'm guessing the elbow grease involved :-)
Maureen: Thanks! Nothing makes a room pop like red!
Ginger: That hutch was adorable and it was under-used and fading into the background. When the wall was painted and it was staged with china, it amazed us (and the homeowner)!
Beverly: A valance would have been nice! At the time, we were just so glad to see the foil wallpaper and blind gone, we didn't want to add anything.
Lori Kim: Thanks so much and yes-- a can of paint can be disastrous without consulting a stager about the color!
Thanks Cathy Lee!
Cindy: The owner had even had the blind specially made with the wallpaper on it and really did NOT want to let it go! It took her 2 daughters, the realtor, and 2 stagers to convince her!
Michele - congrats on getting rid of that foil wallpaper! I recently went into a property that had wild foil wallpaper in several rooms. It hurt my eyes!! Buyers just can't see past that kind of thing! Nice jobs you did. i especially like the new blue bathroom. Very pretty. Was a real eyesore before.
Great post Michele! That foil wallpaper is outrageous. I tell my clients and students that "paint is money in a can".
Great examples of what a simple can of paint can do when preparing your home for sale.
Michele ~ Great job! Pictures speak a thousand words without costing a thousand dollars
The "after" bathroom picture looks fantastic. Thank goodness that wallpaper is gone. Great job.
paint paint paint - so inexpensive so effective
Pangaea: That foil stuff was hideous and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! The blue bathroom still amazes me too-- it doesn't even seem like the same bathroom.
Jackson: "Money in a can!" I'm going to use that! So true!
Michele: Simple paint and a bit of work-- it's just not that hard! Thanks!
Kimberly: Thanks! In the midst of staging. I don't always remember just how bad it was until I go back and see the before pics. That's when I get the full impact!
Kate: I'm also a realtor and I don't think I've ever heard a buyer say, "I love that wallpaper!" but even these baths were over the top crazy! And I swear the rooms got twice as big when the paper came down :-))
Kathleen: True, true, true! :-)) Thanks!
I love paint ... and wallpaper removal products! Great job. Everthing looks so fresh and clean.
Just wanted to tell you that my step-mother has foil wallpaper in her bathroom... on the ceiling, the walls, the door trim, the door and even over the vertical blinds that are used as a shower curtain! It's what the previous owner had and she has not changed it. It's not on the market but you know I'm dying to get my hands on it when it is!!
Much better -- a job well done. I think this is a great example of Paint before and afters for realtors to use!
Leanne: I totally understand! I could not wait to get rid of it! As soon as it came down, even with the walls still messy, it was a big sigh of relief. LOL- the door trim too? Too funny!
Karen: Thanks so much! I would love for more realtors to use these to "inspire" their sellers!
Paint IS the absolute most bang for the buck! Nice photos to illlustarate the point.
Michele, great examples of what you can do when working with only what you have and a small budget. This explains to Realtors and Homeowners how valuable a good eye can be and still not cost a fortune! Great Job!
Michele,
I LOVE before and after photos...and I love the fact that even WE as Stagers are amazed at the afters!
Michelle,
Yikes! That dark Victorian style bathroom looked like a dungeon. What a wonderful transformation for so little money. Great job and it was nice to meeting you this week.
Great examples. The right colour paint can truly transform a space. Sometimes it even worth painting out dark wood in a light colour - for example front hall stairs and trim in a small entryway or outdated kitchen. Makes such a difference to the light in a small space too.
Kim: Thanks! I like what Jackson said (above): "Money in a can!"
Ana: Staging can be done inexpensively! The response to the "after" rooms from buyers was great and the homeowners did NO updating or renovating at all.
Ginger: Thanks-- I love too that we still get that staging "rush!"
Luci: Thanks and it was great meeting you too! That home with the "Victorian" decor was overwhelming-- and then we saw the bathroom! Yikes!
Tina: I recommend painting wood paneling and dark cabinets all the time. Most often my clients don't have a lot of money to make big changes, but they're willing to do the work. And you're right-- it needs to be the right color! That kitchen color especially could have gone terribly wrong if the wrong color had been chosen!
Michele - great post. I am a real believer in what a can or two of paint can do. You did a great job.
Michele- Was out of town when you posted this but WOW what a great job you did. I'm still floored over the bathroom. Some of the best B&A's I've seen.
Michele, For about $20.00 anyone can dramatically improve their sales chances by going neutral and decluttering, your photos prove it.