Staff Reporter
It is said that Mark Twain once remarked, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”. This is never more true than when you want to sell your home. What is the first thing people see when they are browsing online, looking for a new home? A photograph of the house. What is the first thing people look at when the see the For Sale sign outside a house? The house, of course. There are a number of ways you can make that first impression more impactful; tidy the garden, clean the windows, sweep the paths but, perhaps, the most effective way to get that wow is to repaint the house.
A freshly painted house sends a couple of messages to a potential buyer. “If the house is well maintained outside it is likely to be well maintained inside” and “There’s one job that wont need doing when we move in”. But does any of this actually effect the price that the house will be sold at?
Firstly, the faster a house sells the more likely you are to get the asking price. A house that has been on the market a long time tends to require a series of reductions in price before it sells.
Secondly, a survey of American estate agents have estimated that the return on investment for painting a house is over 50%. That means for every euro you spend on painting the house you get more than double that back on the sale value of the house.
Which paint should you use? Well given the increased incidence of calima (Spain) (that horrible red dust cloud that stained everybody’s house brown) I would recommend Properla facade coatings. These incredible paints should last for more than 20 years, are guaranteed for 10 and the calima will just wash off in the rain. Following the last dose of dust I have seen hundreds of properties that require repainting because a pressure washer just wont shift it.
Choice of colour is important too. Estate agents tell me that neutral, soft tones are more appealing to buyers. Bold colours will put people off. Check out the range of neutral tones on properla.net that include sage green and Cotswold cream.
Finally, if you haven’t got time to do it yourself then find a qualified exterior painter applicator on the proPERLA website near to you.
