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<\/a>How much value can you add to a home by painting the exterior?<\/h2>\n
Painting the exterior of your home is beneficial for a few reasons. First and foremost, it\u2019s your<\/i> home, and you should enjoy looking at it. If you don\u2019t like the color of your home, \u201cpaint it,\u201d says Terry Bunch,<\/a> a high-performing real estate agent in Naperville, Illinois, with 16 years of experience.<\/p>\n Will painting it add value?<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe not, because if you\u2019ve just bought the home and you plan to live there for a while, trends may change again before you sell it,\u201d says Bunch. \u201cBut if you\u2019re a buyer and you want to paint your new home, it won\u2019t take away value as long as the color is acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n And there absolutely are scenarios in which painting your home will add value.<\/p>\n In a 2019 HomeLight survey of more than 900 real estate agents<\/a>, the estimated cost of painting a home\u2019s exterior was $2,803, but the estimated value it added was $4,228 \u2014 that\u2019s a 51% return on investment.<\/p>\n Painting is not just about aesthetics; it\u2019s a maintenance item<\/a>, too. \u201cAny home is going to benefit from maintenance,\u201d says Bunch.<\/p>\n \u201cMaking sure the exterior of the home has an effective and current paint job is important because it will protect from the elements and preserves the life of the home.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Painting the exterior of a home can keep mold and mildew out by keeping moisture out of the wood, siding, or other building materials. If you have siding on your home, painting it will prolong the life of the siding, meaning you\u2019ll have to replace it less frequently, saving you thousands of dollars in the long run.<\/p>\n \u201cMaintaining your home by keeping it properly painted adds value \u2014 and if you don\u2019t do it, it will take away value,\u201d Bunch says.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re wondering how much it might cost to paint the exterior of your new home, a recent survey by Home Advisor<\/a> shows that homeowners reported the average cost to paint the exterior of a home was $2,856, with a typical range between $1,710 and $4,002.<\/p>\n The average price per square foot to paint the exterior of a home was between $0.50 and $3.50, depending on the location, condition of the exterior, and accessibility. The cost to paint stucco and brick was $1 per square foot more expensive than the cost of painting vinyl or wood.<\/p>\n When the paint on a home begins to chip or peel, it can eventually damage the wood or other materials that it\u2019s covering up. If that\u2019s the case with your new home, you\u2019ll want to paint it so that you don\u2019t end up with maintenance issues down the line.<\/p>\n Wood siding, for example, needs to be painted or sealed every four to nine years<\/a>. If bare wood is exposed to rain, humidity, or ocean air, it can rot. Rotting exterior will, of course, devalue a home. \u201cI\u2019ve seen homes with painting that is overdue, and that impacts the sellability,\u201d says Bunch.<\/p>\n This one may seem pretty obvious, but loud, obnoxious colors don\u2019t do your home\u2019s value any favors and will make it less valuable when you put it on the market.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the issue with the paint is just cosmetic and you\u2019re getting ready to sell your house, you can add value by picking a current color,\u201d says Bunch.<\/p>\n While current colors change over time, neutral colors usually have long-term appeal. Colors like off-white<\/a>, gray<\/a>, light blue<\/a>, and taupe<\/a> are popular today<\/a> and can withstand the test of time.<\/p>\n When it comes to the interior of a home, gray and beige are popular go-to colors. In a survey of agents<\/a>, Agreeable Gray<\/a> by Sherwin-Williams had the widest buyer appeal, followed by Revere Pewter<\/a> by Benjamin Moore, Accessible Beige<\/a> by Sherwin-Williams, and Repose Gray<\/a> by Sherwin-Williams.<\/p>\n Picture San Francisco\u2019s painted ladies<\/a> in your head \u2014 now imagine them not as the colorful Victorian and Edwardian houses that they are, but as a row of white and beige homes. They\u2019re not as appealing in those monotone colors, right?<\/p>\n If you\u2019re buying a home with a specific look, whether it\u2019s an old Victorian home or a mid-century modern bungalow, it\u2019s important to paint the exterior according to what will best fit its style. If you\u2019re not sure which colors fit the style of your home, contact a local paint retailer \u2014 many offer services to help you pick colors that fit best with the type of home you own.<\/p>\n National paint companies like Benjamin Moore also offer tools where you can upload a picture of your house; Benjamin Moore will show you complementary colors to what you\u2019ve already got on the house as well as give you an idea of what the place will look like when it\u2019s painted.<\/p>\n Just as certain colors work for certain styles of homes, different parts of the country favor different colors of homes, too.<\/p>\n An exterior color that would be wildly popular in San Antonio, for example, might not look right in New Brunswick. A classic Spanish home with a red tile roof would look out-of-place painted in the dark, woodsy colors that one would typically paint a cabin in the woods.<\/p>\n Bunch points out that, \u201cthe closer you come to the house, the more important the paint is.\u201d In other words, a house may look great online, as a stand-alone image, but if the paint color of your new home doesn\u2019t match with the region, or even other homes in the neighborhood, it will stick out like a sore thumb.<\/p>\n \u201cIt needs to pass the drive-by test,\u201d says Bunch.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no way around it: a dark paint job can make a house look creepy and uninviting.<\/p>\n In addition to the creep factor, there are other reasons why a dark-colored house may be less than functional. Dark colors tend to absorb more of the sun\u2019s heat, making the interior of the home hotter; and dark colors also have a tendency to crack, peel, and flake more frequently than homes painted with lighter colors.<\/p>\n When it comes to the interior of your home, dark accent walls have also fallen in popularity.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you have a red wall, maybe it is time to paint it because that isn\u2019t the color in favor anymore,\u201d says Bunch.<\/p>\n \u201cI have been the listing agent on properties that were painted a color that was appropriate when the home was painted \u2014 but trends change, and part of my marketing advice to the seller was to repaint to expedite the sale,\u201d says Bunch.<\/p>\n Indeed, a home painted with colors that feel dated, or even just boring, may not strip value from the home, but it certainly won\u2019t add any value.<\/p>\n If you want to spice up the colors of your new home without committing to repainting the entire exterior, adding some pops of color to the trim or shutters can be a good way to infuse some personality.<\/p>\n A lot of homes can get a good facelift if you paint the trim, front door, or a smaller part of the house instead of the whole thing.<\/p>\n Painting the front door with a pop of color, for example, can infuse some personality and color into the home without going overboard. \u201cIt\u2019s about curb appeal,\u201d says Bunch.<\/p>\n You may have purchased a brick home or a home with interesting stone detail that has been painted over. In this case, you may want to consider stripping the paint off the brick or stone to expose the raw materials below.<\/p>\nIs fresh paint sorely needed?<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Is the paint too bright?<\/h2>\n
Does the paint work with the home style?<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Does the paint fit with the region where you live?<\/h2>\n
Does the paint feel too dark?<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Does the paint feel too boring or dated?<\/h2>\n
Do you have to paint the whole house?<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Is the underlying material worth showing off?<\/h2>\n