The Staging Controversy: Neutral vs. Color Paint When Preparing Your Home to Sell
In the real estate culture of Silicon Valley, I’ve been taught to always use Kelly Moore Oyster on the walls and Swiss Coffee on the trim when preparing a house for sale. This advice comes from local set designers, contractors, and painters alike. Of course, my own house looked like an exploded box of crayons: cranberry in the kitchen, sunset yellow in the living room, sage willow in the hallway, and we’re going with a new color in every room.
When I go to preview a house for a client, or even myself when I’m on the market, I feel bad when there’s no color. If it’s all white or boring neutrals, my mind immediately starts thinking about what colors would make the space feel more comfortable. However, I know that the typical industry mantra has been to remain buyer-neutral. All of this made me wonder, and I decided to weigh in with ten stage professionals from across the country to find out if neutrals really sell a house better than color. The controversial findings were much more interesting than expected. It was a divided country.
About half of the set designers felt strongly attached to a neutral color palette. I did learn an interesting thing though: several of them suggested using subtle colors that have a neutral quality, like a soft sage green or pale earthy yellow. I was also glad that everyone agreed to steer clear of the dark, gloomy beige. “I always tell clients to paint with neutral colors, but neutral isn’t just white or beige,” said Cindy Richter, a set designer from Texas. “Neutrals are also soft greens, blues, grays, and tans.” In general, her reasoning was to attract as many buyers as possible and not turn anyone away. My own personal dilemma with this is that by catering to the masses, do we lose the appeal of a specific buyer who would be willing to pay a slightly higher price because we create a dream for them through exciting colors?
Another D.C. metro area set designer and color consultant, Pam Faulkner, felt there is no single answer to the paint color question. “I’ve found that color choices are determined by the area of the country, the architecture, the lighting, the furnishings, and the target market,” she said.
But the other half of the set designers I interviewed strongly recommended painting with an interesting color scheme. Their opinions were as strong or stronger than those of those designers who favored the neutral route. I thought Sebastian Barrett St. Troy’s comment of “Color sells! It’s what brings the house to life” really summed up what I learned from talking to color advocates.
I tend to agree with the color camp. When I’m looking for homes for myself or with clients, it’s homes with pizzazz and style that are memorable. This generally equates to the use of color. Of course, it is possible to mess up the choice of color. (I can’t tell you how many houses I’ve walked into and thought “Oh no you didn’t.” And I’m not even going to go there on the subject of DIY faux paint and how that affects resale.) Poorly chosen colors are a lot worse for resale than a simple neutral beige. But when you can do some color research or talk to a real estate agent or designer who can guide you, a stunning color palette can work wonders for a motivated buyer. Also try to pick up the latest marketing piece from your favorite paint store, which usually showcases current color trends and palettes from around the country; There’s no need to reinvent the wheel when the mega paint companies have already done the legwork.
So who is right? What is your opinion? It seems like most presenters at least agreed that some color is a good thing, even if it falls within the neutral realm with a hint of color. When in doubt, talk to your real estate agent or set designer, or an interior designer friend for advice.
If you want to read more information and insights from all the actors I interviewed, you can click the link in the author resource box below.