CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It's no secret that Charlotte's housing market is red hot, with some houses going for well over the asking price and buyers putting in cash offers sight unseen. While it's a seller's market, there are still things homeowners can do to get the biggest bang for their buck.
There are some things you can't control, like the property surrounding your home or its location, but when it comes to the interior of your home, sellers can truly control how much a buyer is willing to pay.
THE QUESTION:
Are there certain colors you should be painting rooms in your house that could help or hurt a sale?
SOURCES:
- Zillow
- David Hoffman, of David Hoffman Realty, a Charlotte-based real estate firm
ANSWER:
Yes, there are certain colors you should be painting rooms in your house that could help or hurt a sale.
WHAT WE FOUND:
"The paint color totally tells a story," Hoffman said. "It can pull in the actions that the buyer is looking for, or can distract."
Zillow’s latest interior paint color analysis took a look at 15 colors to find out which made the biggest impact in the bedroom, bathroom, living room and kitchen.
"We actually found that white scored the highest when painted in the kitchen and gray the highest when painted in the living room," Amanda Pendleton, Zillow Senior Communications Manager, said.
"Maybe if you have a china cabinet with one wall that's kind of like an accent wall inside that's midnight blue, but then the walls need to match the cabinetry. It's kind of like as a man, when I wear suits, I'm always told my socks need to match my slacks and the walls need to match the cabinetry. So, in the kitchen, at least if you have white cabinets, you want as close to a white wall, you know. Maybe a little off-white, just not exactly the same, but you don't want to distract from those accent pieces. You know, maybe a little stone in the backsplash or that bar stool."
When it comes to the bathroom, Zillow found homes with light blue bathrooms could sell for up to $4,698 more than expected.
"When you go to the master bath, this is a fun room. This is just starting to get really popular," Hoffman said. "So the master bath has a lot of water. You've got the shower and the sinks, you've got the tub. Hopefully, you have windows that can show you the beautiful blue skies. So, you want baby blue in the master bath."
The Zillow analysis found that buyers tend to veer away from vibrant colors in the bathroom, so stay away from bright yellow, bright green, bright red, and pink.
In the kitchen, the best bet is white. According to the study, on average, a neutral light color greatly increases interest in even touring a property. It also ups the likelihood of a potential buyer purchasing the home.
Once again, stay away from bright colors here. The study found a bright red kitchen could decrease the price that buyers would be willing to offer by nearly $1,500, on average.
When it comes to the bedroom, this is the room to use that bold color.
"If you want to go dramatic in the bedroom, a dark forest green office scored very well," Pendleton said.
"You can close the door and it can be a little more fun. You can be a little more edgy," Hoffman added.
If you want to paint at least one room in your house a bold color, the bedroom is the place to do it. A majority of those surveyed saw potential in dark blue. So much so that the color increased the average potential price they were willing to offer. However, that’s the only bold color to choose from. The survey found buyers did not like bedrooms that were bright yellow, bright green, or pink.
The best bet for the living room is neutral.
"When it comes to the great room, the living room, even the den, most people want them all to flow because when you have different colors, you know, some people want the dining room to be different from the living room than from the great room from the study. It just feels choppy, it doesn't feel seamless and it doesn't have any uniformity," Hoffman said.
Contact Sarah French at Sarah@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram.
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