Market Ready
Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times
By TIM McKEOUGH
Published: September 21, 2011
This is the first in a regular series of articles on strategic home repairs and redecorating that can be done to prepare a home for sale.Q. My living room has red walls. Do I really need to repaint them before putting my apartment on the market?
A. Although red walls can look chic, and a bright color may express your personal style, it might pay to repaint your walls in a tamer color. Not only will a new coat of paint cover scuffs and scratches, but a more relaxed color could help potential buyers visualize their own ideas for the space.
Laurie Silverman, an executive vice president at Halstead Property, said she recently dealt with a similar issue. “I had an apartment on the market for a while, where the walls were pink,” she said. “It was really well done, but it was a very specific taste, so nobody could understand the proportions of the room, or the details of this gorgeous prewar apartment.”
Her remedy was to have the walls painted white. The apartment had received little interest for months, but “it sold within a week” of getting its new paint job, she said.
Ms. Silverman advised using “very, very neutral colors” when repainting — hues that are “soothing and calm.”
Laura Kirar, a New York interior and product designer who sometimes uses bold colors in her work, agreed. “When people are shopping, sometimes color can distract them from the architecture or the lines of the space,” she said. “Everybody likes to see a blank slate or white canvas.”
She was quick to point out, however, that there are many shades of white and neutral colors. “A bright white can be shocking,” she said, if you choose the wrong shade. “It can be very much in your face.”
To find a pleasing neutral color, Ms. Kirar said,
