WHICH PAINT COLOUR HELPS ME SELL?

Curb appeal might be subjective, but it’s not difficult to imagine that the listing of the bright blue home with a yellow roof gets less attention than other more neutral homes. Colour can have an exceptional impact on buyers. Understanding the costly and labour-intensive effort it would take to repaint a home, most buyers simply choose not to look passed the fact that a home is not painted according to their taste. And this is actually a proven fact…

According to research conducted by Zillow in the US, homes that were painted a shade somewhere between grey and beige tended to sell for $3,496 more than comparable homes painted in other colours. Sadly, no such market research has been completed in South Africa, but the principle remains the same: choose the wrong colour and you can negatively affect the value of your home.

Here’s how to choose sellable colours for the exterior of your home:

Choose contrasting shades
Creating an appealing first impression is all about creating good contrasts. If you have a dark roof, then choose a lighter wall colour and vice versa. Alternatively, you can choose to use the same colour in a different shade to your roof. This trick usually works better on homes that are not packed too closely against their neighbour, as the combination tends to make the home blend in rather than stand out.

Get suggestions from Mother Nature
Consider the climate of your suburb when choosing an exterior paint colour. If you live in a dry area with minimal greenery like in most parts of Gauteng, you might want to avoid the brown and beige shades and opt for whites or greys instead. If your home gets a lot of direct sunlight, you could opt for darker shades to avoid your home contributing towards the glare factor.   

Take cues from your neighbours 
Contemplate how your newly repainted homes will look next to your neighbour’s home. You want to be in keeping with the look and feel of your neighbourhood but, at the same time, you want to make sure that your house stands out in a positive way that increases its appeal to buyers. Striking this balance when choosing a paint colour is the key to adding value to your home.