The 4 Colors You Need to Paint Your Home

Working on a blank canvas is hard. There’s so many possibilities that it can be overwhelming for people. If you are thinking of painting your home, you want to be sure that it looks great. Here are some of the tips that I got from talking to my stager yesterday.

There are four paint colors that you need to figure out. The outside, inside, trim, and door colors.

The Outside

You want to make sure you pick a color that blends well with the neighborhood. In South Central LA, you will find homes that are painted pink or teal (yuck!). We want to stay away from those colors in the Bay Area. At some point, white was a popular color for the exterior. In recent years, a solid grey was the color of choice. I’ve used colors like Mt.Rushmore (KM4902) on some of my projects.

Now the color of choice is a nice brown grey, like Mocha Mousse Match (KM3944-5).  You can cut it with more white to make it lighter if necessary.

When you paint your home, make sure you apply a small test on a wall and look at it at all times of the day. The different lighting will let you know if you should paint it darker or lighter.

The Inside

In the past, older homes were decorated with wall paper with all kinds of crazy designs. Eventually, homeowners came to their senses and started painting their homes white. Some of my rentals use bone white to give it some extra color. For a while, Monroe Bisque was the color of choice. For my projects, I’ve been using San Francisco Fog (KM5822).

But grays can be very cold and make the home feel commercial.

My stager told me of a new incoming color called Greige (KM5767). The beautiful thing about Greige is that it doesn’t have any influences. It doesn’t pick up pinks or throw off yellows. You see a nice clean back drop for abstract art. It doesn’t screen grey and it’s very popular. Edgecomb Gray (HC-173) is the Benjamin Moore version and is the exact color my stager recommends.

The Trim

The trim is the easiest part. Use Swiss coffee (KM 23). It’s the most popular trim color out there. Don’t be fooled by the name, Swiss coffee is actually white! It looks like melted white chocolate, and makes your home look clean! It has a high sheen and makes the rest of your colors pop. It can be used for the trim inside and outside. It’s a universal color that won’t be going away anytime soon. When you asked what color to use for your trim, always say SWISS COFFEE!

The Door

Door color creates another interesting dimension to your home’s appearance. You can either stain it to make it look like a polished violin, or you can paint it a certain color to make your house pop. In some areas, it’s very popular to paint your door red or canary yellow. While it definitely makes your house noticeable, I don’t think that works for the Bay Area. People here don’t care the extra attention, and just want to live with something that’s simple and clean.

I paint all of my doors black. It’s a very clean look and makes the home seem luxurious. After talking with my stager yesterday, I’m now convinced that I should change the color. Black has some negative qualities. It shows dirt very easily and it can get HOT! If you home is South or West facing, your black door can get very hot. Instead of painting your door black, try a color like Espresso (Benjamin Moore CSP-30). It’s softer, and creates the same effect.

Inside the home, you want to paint your door the same color as your trim and NOT the same color as your walls. The door is a focal point, and you want it to stand out from your walls. You also don’t paint it the same color as your exterior door color because that color doesn’t fit in well with the interior of your home!

Conclusion

Choosing paint colors is hard. With this simple guide, you’ll be able to create a beautiful home for a really cheap price. If you’re getting ready to put your home on the market and you don’t want to spend a lot of money on the rehab, put a fresh coat of paint on the home. It’ll make it look brand new, and the new home owners will love it.

There are only four main choices that you need to make. Exterior, interior, trim, and door color. If you get lost, use this guide. There’s no need to be a trailblazer in real estate, use what works and you will succeed.

If you want to learn more about Real Estate Investing, listen to the podcast http://www.everythingREI.com/podcast. You’ll get the latest tips and tricks from professionals to help you become an expert investor. You can also check out the projects section to see some of the work that I’ve done with my team!