It Pays To Paint

As a property owner, you should understand the importance of maintaining and adding value to your home. One of the fastest and most cost-effective ways of doing this is – yup, you guessed it from the title – painting.

There’s something special about a newly painted room, isn’t there? It just looks fresh and new, and it can make the furniture in the room “pop” into life. The color allows you to set a mood, and moods are very marketable.

Regardless of your goals, painting is a fantastic home improvement that can add value to your home and wellbeing. If you happen to be a landlord, it increases the take-up rate as well as the rent of your property. If you intend to sell the property, it could also help you fetch a higher price.

These suggestions will help you to get started in choosing the right paint color:

1) A well-chosen color of new paint will help bring your vision to life. Sure, painting takes some elbow grease (and unfortunately elbow grease can’t be bought at your local DIY shop) but the rewards are worth the effort.

Remember: When you compare the cost of a gallon or two of paint to the potential value it can add to your home, it quickly becomes a worthy investment. For added value to your home, you really can’t beat painting as a thrifty improvement.

2) Before you begin painting, think about the overall “feel” you’re seeking for your home. Keep this feel consistent throughout your home, with similar colors and tones.

Ask yourself how you want people in your home (don’t forget, that includes you!) to feel. From there, do some research into paint colours and the feelings they evoke.

For example, if you want a tranquil, calm feeling, then lighter tones of green, beige and purple are great colours to create this mood. If you want to liven up your home, then reds can bring the vim and vitality you need.

3) Paint can increase brightness in a room. Of course, natural light helps tremendously, but a carefully selected paint will enhance it even further.

Remember: People prefer rooms that appear to be full of light – walls that use natural light to their advantage will doubtless add value to your home.

4) Paint is a great disguise for many chips, marks and dry-wall mistakes. If your walls are a little worse for wear, then painting can make them look as good as new.

5) Don’t forget about the exterior surfaces of the property. Unless your home is accessed via an underground tunnel, the outside of your home will be the first thing people see.

Make sure it looks its best – a lick of paint can make it look clean and fresh. You simply can’t beat the results of a newly painted house.

No matter where you live or how much you’ve already invested into your home, a new coat of paint can go a long way in adding value to it. For the money, there’s no better improvement. Break down the walls that prevent you from adding value to your home by painting them.

Here are some before and after painting photos of a stairway of one of my properties. See the difference it made to the look and feel of the stairway with just two coats of paint.