Wednesday, August 1, 2007

To Paint or Not to Paint? That is the Question.

We are already in the thought mode of how best to prep our house for a possible placement on the market NEXT summer. At that point we'll have been in the townhome for almost 3 years and hopefully the neighborhood will be finished or close to it. We are continuing with little decorating here and there for our own nesting purposes & with thoughts of what would look best when it is on the market. Try to stay neutral, neutral, warm, homey...yadda-yadda.....take HGTV's advice. Yes, we are getting advice from HGTV. Hope it all helps in the end.

So, that brings us to the paint discussion. We had all these wonderful ideas of painting the interior either ourselves or most recently thinking of hiring a crew like hubby's mom did (they did a great job for great price). BUT....BUT.... We have been watching HGTV's shows on how to best prep your home to sell. They are all about being neutral and not doing too much unless it is to make it more neutral....basically creating a clean template for the next home owner so they can picture their stuff in your house.

Well, we did a test run on the smallest room in our house, the downstairs half-bath. We chose what we thought was a nice warm, not too bright yellow called "toasted wheat." HA, not too bright my bootie. ;p Well, it is MUCH brighter than we thought. Not sure if I am too fond of it, but it is starting to grow on me. BUT it was an interesting lesson.....and put even more doubt into my head (our heads) of whether or not to paint the other rooms. Perhaps it might be best to keep it that neutral, builder eggshell color. Perhaps just touch up in places that got scratched over the past 2 years we've been here. (Wow, I can't believe it's been 2 years!)

It would look nice to see more color in the rooms, but maybe we just keep adding a little more decor here and there. Is it really worth the time and money to paint if we are going to move (hopefully) in a year? Would the paint help sell the house or hinder? Would we see the return in investment? All questions that swarm in our heads.

I just dunno.

????

8 comments:

Ian said...

I always thought it was the fresh paint that helped sell the house, rather than the neutral colours. (But I don't watch HGTV, so what do I know?)

Would your paint still be 'fresh' in a year, or would you have nicks and scratches again?

Jen said...

I'm with Ian. It's your home now, so I'm thinking do what you want to do. I haven't watched HGTV in forever, so I may not have the slightest clue either. I always liked the rooms that were painted in the homes we saw, except for the bright purple pony room and/or the fairy room. If it's tasteful, why not?

I'm also hiring from now on. While I enjoy painting the prep work takes entirely too long.

I'm just sayin'.

tt said...

A can of paint is a very small investment that gives you bang for your buck...at least that's what Lisa La Porta from 'Designed to Sell'says. Neutral is always best they say, for the reasons you said. I, however would wait untill at least 6 months before it is put on the market. You want that 'fresh' feeling when it shows.
Glad we're not moving! I can't live w/o color on my walls ever again!! Too many years in Military housing. LOL
Cute pic tho!! ;)Love the bandana!

tt said...

Hey......off the subject, but is that a picture of a possible tattoo on the front of your blog?? The other one is gone.
????

Allison Horner said...

Thanks for all of your advice. Hmmm...maybe a fresh paint job in some sort of neutral colors early next year is a good idea...

TT: The tattoo idea is on hold right now. I still like the sun idea, but not sure if I would go through with it. I think if I ever do it, I have to be 100% sure I want it. What picture of a possible tat where you refering to?

tt said...

The one below your picture w/ the stethescope....:) or however you spell it. :)
i love that!!!!

Allison Horner said...

Ah, the Dave Matthew's Band dancer. I have always loved that artwork & DMB is my favorite band.

As much as I love the sun & the DMB dancer, I am not a big fan of getting band tattoos. Although I had the thought of that sun BEFORE I ever new it was associated with a band (which happens to be another favorite band of mine). Again, I think I have to be 100% sure. Plus I saw a not-so-attractive woman in the airport the other day with a similar sun tattoo on her arm...and thought UGH....I don't ever want to look like that!!!! (yes, I know, not very nice of me to think that)

tt said...

It's actually good to think that way. It will help you in your decision making. ;)