Why is Color Important When Selling a Home?

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Photo © Vanessa Stump; Color Design and Styling by K. Berg

In 2009 I was interviewed for a couple of articles on the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate website about using color in the home. I was quoted several times, but never shared the full questions and answers on my blog. Well, why not now?

Here's one of my favorite questions that seems to have a perpetually elusive answer. We still keep getting bombarded with the whole "beige is best" mantra. As you'll see, I'm not in the colorless camp. I have a much different perspective than many real estate experts who far too often take the position of "'neutral is best...because using anything else will offend potential buyers.

BHG} Why is color important when selling a home?

KB} Home-buying is a very emotional experience and colors and emotion are completely intertwined. We make conscious and unconscious associations with every color we see, so it is important when preparing a home for sale, that the colors used are very carefully considered. A cohesive color palette is one that doesn’t have jarring contrasts - colors that work together to create an overall mood for the space. Prospective buyers want to feel invited into a home, so the color palette should reflect a feeling of comfort and warmth. If the color palette isn’t cohesive, and the wrong feeling is conveyed through improper color use, a potential home-buyer can be left feeling cold and unwelcome - definitely not what you want someone to feel when they are looking for a place to call home.

Anyone have any tips or stories you'd like to share about color and your own home-buying or home-selling experiences? 

Photo © Vanessa Stump; Styling by K. Berg

Do you need help selecting colors for a home you're selling? Give me call at 650.867.3896 or send me an email at kelly@artestyling.com to discuss your project.