Sunday, August 12, 2012

Don't "Call Me Maybe"... Call Me about Paint Colors

A realtor asked me to quote vignette staging for her vacant house listing.  She said the house is getting showings but 'nobody is sticking around'.   It is a cute house and has a lot to offer.

HATE this color!
Could I just give her a simple pricing quote for the staging?  Nooooooooo....I had give her my opinion. I can't stage a house when there are obvious problems that need to be addressed. 

This house suffers from poor paint color choices.  (Again, I reinterate poor paint colors for selling.) The Family Room is the first room you enter. 

Linda Beam
It is a taupey-mauvey-brown.  This Family Room feels dark and depressing. The color does nothing to showcase the wood floors or brick fireplace. It desparately needs a new paint color!

Black for Drama!
I also recommended that the staircase banisters and railings be painted because they look dingy, are dinged and dated. 

For drama, I would paint them black to coordinate with the fireplace insert, the chandelier in the dining room  and the Ventian Gold granite countertops in the kitchen.

The owners are going with the trim-white color. It is the more conservative route and will, no doubt, be a vast improvement.

Nicely Updated Kitchen & Spacious Dining Room

Linda Beam
Linda Beam
Here are the adjoining rooms that a potential buyer sees after entering the front door:
Linda Beam
Good News/Bad News
The good news is I will be vignette staging the house after it is repainted.  The bad news is the owners weren't receptive hearing any advice on color.  The owners decided to repaint
all the rooms using the neutral color beige they repainted the kitchen. (The kitchen walls were Kelly Green before it went on the market.) 

The realtor told me, "They have leftover paint."

And, that's ok--at least that color in the Family Room is going away....

Look at This Big Porch
Have to show you the great screened porch and large fenced back yard.  Somebody is going to be very happy in this house!
Linda Beam
What is your reaction the the color in the Family Room?  I love hearing your opinions.

Later,


Linda




19 comments:

  1. Well at least it will all be the same color. You can call that a plus. The rooms will flow better...
    It isn't easy to convince sellers to spend money to sell their homes. They simply "dont't get it"!
    Your job is NOT easy!
    You do the best you can.

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    1. As a retired realtor you so get it Patty! It is hard to get sellers to spend money. That is why I prefer to give a detailed written report. My reports include lots of commentary on the reasons behind why I am asking them to make the changes. I've found if the sellers have the logic behind my recoomendations they are more receptive.

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  2. Ya, those colours are AWFUL! What were they thinking?? Random side question- what do you find best for resale: White or dark kitchen cabinets? Just curious what your opinion is :)

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    1. White kitchen cabinets are best for selling. White cabinets are timeless and that appeals to buyers. Also, white cabinets make kitchens look lighter and brighter. Of course, white is a neutral palette for buyers to put their imprint on. Thanks for your question Jen!

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  3. Yeah, the colours are not the greatest. It's hard to tell what style they are going for but if it's in a traditional direction the area below the chair rail could go white with the trim and extra steps could be taken to trim it out to look like paneling. Those kind of architectural details might make it more impressive. The house sort of seems casual though so maybe beige is actually what the buyers want in that hood?

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  4. You are right, Nicole the house is casual and in a traditional neighborhood. Paneling is not popular in our area. Home owners go to great lenghts to cover it. I agree that architectual details make a house more interesting. I agree the area under the chair rail could have been enhanced. I typically recommend varying shades in the same color range for selling. Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment!

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  5. An all neutral palette is best, right. I feel like people can't get past color, so it is a buzz kill. Good luck and have fun staging it! Show us pics when you're done! I love that porch.
    Nancy
    Powellbrowerhome.com

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    Replies
    1. You know Nancy, I think it has to do with the age of the folks this house will appeal to. They will be a young family and busy, busy, busy. Folks don't have the time or money to move in and dig into decor issues. Buyers can live with neutral until they make the house their own.

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  6. Well, at least the beige from the kitchen is a step up from that sad color in the family room. I just love it when clients call me after they've painted their walls, bought the wrong furniture and lighting, and want me use what they chose and make it look great. Right.

    www.chattafabulous.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. I hear ya, Kim! I get caught between the realtor advising the client on paint colors, they invest in it, it doesn't look good--and then I'm called in. I can't make the realtor look bad (they are my bread and butter)... How do you approach it with your clients?

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  7. It sounds like you gave her some great advise. Worth the money to help sell a house.

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    1. And, therein lies the rub--I wasn't paid. I wasn't hired for a consultation but to give a quote for staging. I always insist on a consultation for an occupied house. I may have to adopt that policy for vacants.

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  8. I think beige is better than all of those different colors....it should make the place look bigger!

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    1. Absolutely Sherry, the beige is better and bigger. However, there are other neutrals that have more personality than beige and would have made this house look more current. Thanks for commenting, Sherry!

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  9. Honestly, I am not a fan of the living room color. It's sad and unappealing and makes the room look like a cave. Such colors are not easy to make it work unless you have lots of floor to ceiling windows and flooded with natural lighting.

    Jessie
    www.mixandchic.com

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