Color marketing experts believe people will pay more if the colors are “right”. If you believe the experts, a home can sell quicker and for more money if you know how to apply color psychology. For example, a certain shade of yellow on a home’s exterior will sell it faster, according to noted expert Jeanette Joy Fisher.
Exterior Colors That Sell Expensive Homes
Muted colors or colors combining tints of brown or gray (so-called complex colors) are said to attract wealthy buyers whereas simpler colors like tan, yellow and white will sell less expensive houses faster.
Do Dark Colors Really Make The Room Look Smaller?
What about the universal belief that white walls make a room feel larger? Evidently, that’s only slightly true. Tests showed that the perceived difference in size between a white and colored room was a mere six inches (hey, but those 6 inches can be huge for a NYC studio).
Color Me Happy Inside
Ms. Fisher says go with interior color to get the greenbacks. She says most people look better in a color surrounding—-it makes them happy. And since buyers pick houses that make them happy, they’ll pay more. Evidently, love is not color blind.
Here are a few of Jeanette’s tips:
- Entryways should bring the exterior colors into the house
- Repeating shades of the exterior throughout your home will create a harmonious feel
- This one is interesting—living and family rooms painted a slightly lighter shade of the exterior color will ensure that you’ve picked a color your buyers like, because if they didn’t like your exterior colors, they wouldn’t have bothered to look inside. If they loved the exterior colors, they’ll love the interior too
- When choosing interior colors, consider room use. Paint kitchen and dining areas in “food colors,” such as coffee browns, salad greens, and scrambled egg yellows, feel natural. Ever notice the colors in fast food restaurants?
- For master bedrooms use deeper shades of color to convey intimacy and serenity. Jeanette suggests “a medium shade of green or blue for warm selling seasons, and rouge red for cooler weather. Other bedrooms can be painted in creamy tones of green, blue, or a pale shell pink.” (See the chapter on the Psychology of Color in her book “Joy to the Home: Secrets of Interior Design Psychology” for more information.
The Color of The Season
Did you know that color choice should vary according to the time of year you’re marketing a home? Climate is also an important consideration when choosing colors. Use the inverse formula– cool colors, such as blues, greens, and grays, during spring and summer, and warm colors, such as yellows, reds, and maroons, when selling in the fall and winter. Location shoud also be considered. If your home is by the ocean or in a tropical location, blending the colors to the surroundings is probably a wise choice.
Purple Cabins
The architectural type and period of the home should also be considered. Cabins in the mountains are meant to evoke feelings of rustic charm. Earth tones are more suited to the mood. A purple cabin may not blend. But try it on a contemporary home and the house may POP. You should also consider the neighboring homes. Standing out from the crowd may not be most buyers’ wish, especially if they are new to the neighborhood.
Oh Yeah, That Shade of Yellow That Sells
First, know your yellows. Avoid these yellows: those with green undertones—they look sickly to most buyers. And yellows with orange undertones give buyers an impression of cheapness. So says Jeanette. She says the best-selling yellow exterior color is a pale, sunny yellow, especially when complimented with one or more carefully-chosen accent colors, like a semi-gloss white trim. Adding a third color, such as green, can make your home even more attractive to prospective buyers.
Source: Using Color Psychology to Sell Your Home, Jeanette Joy Fisher
Other Books by Jeanette J. Fisher:
Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars
Home Staging with Design Psychology: Sell Your Home For Top Dollar Fast.
Related Post:
Home Staging: Gourmet Real Estate.
Technorati Tags: Real estate marketing, Color marketing, Jeanette Fisher, Sellers, Buyers, Sellsius
The food use colors in the kitchen is good.
The general suggestion of neutral colors is good too, though an entire house in FNT (Flipper Neutral Tan) is just unspeakably dull.
Nice article. In our region, Starbuck’s has greatly influeneced interior color. To assist clients with color trends, I simply watch what Starbucks is doing in their stores. Other retailers like Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn influence color, as well.
I once had a Seller who liked the Washington Huskies. School colors are purple and gold. He painted his trim and gutters purple and gold. The house did not sell! (not until the 3rd agent came along. I think he was finally beat up enough to repaint)
Greg Perry
Greg,
That makes perfect sense and thanks for sharing the tip. The warm fuzzies you get at Starbucks is surely tied to the colors (and the smell of freshly brewed coffee). Also, they and home furnishing retailers like Pottery Barn & Crate & Barrel spend millions spotting trends in design and color. Why not get the benefit of their market research?
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Thank you,
I would add that when sellers are confused about color, Home Decor stores are great resources, but knowing your new home builders and WHICH ONES have great color pallettes- take them to a model! One of the builders here has an excellent color pallette and a wonderfully decorated model that is easy to walk sellers into to brush up not only on colors but on staging. Great article!
Great advice. My wife and I tour new models all the time to spot new trends in decorating, appliances and design. Then she wants to remodel
You should see some of the colors of homes around here (Northern Virginia). They can be very interesting to say the least… I try to get my buyers to just “think of the box” because they can’t change the structure of the house though they can repaint. I also explain we can try and knock the price of the painting off of the offering price. But sometimes, it’s just that bad.
As for the house in your photo, I’m sure that the power lines in front of the house have something to do with it not selling, not just the paint. Nothing like the sound of power lines on a rainy day!
Funny how colors can be so important. Did you know that Jay Z has licensed his own color? USA Today GM must believe it will make a difference. Crazy!
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I like your style of writing. Want a job editing my new book Flip That House with FAUX?
Joy to you,
Jeanette
Flip That House for Habitat for Humanity
http://FlipThatHouseWithFaux.com
That would be an honor Jeanette.
It’s an often overlooked point you make about how to influence the buyer and it’s good to see somebody putting some good info out there.