When viewing a property would you mind if..

Zelie

I am going to chime in and say the opposite.

I'm a potential-FTB and I'd actually prefer a house which is not tarted up to the nines. When I buy I have my own plans for how to decorate and arrange my home and if everything is too perfect then I'd feel I was wasting money a bit just to get it to my preferred colour or layout. So when I'm looking at houses (online only at present) I am more focused on the slightly more dated properties than the fully-spec ones (unless those happen to be cheaper).

So in answer to the OP, it's possible that a large proportion of buyers would be considering decorating at some point anyway. So whether it's magnolia, terracotta or skyblue-pink won't really matter. What *will* matter is the general upkeep of the place so if I were you I'd focus my efforts on that more. A place in horrendous (to me) colours but in decent nick would seem a much better option than a magnolia palace with a dodgy roof and leaky plumbing!

clairehi

Im not sure that the paint colour in one room/state of one table top is going to either make or break the deal either way is it? it is going to depend on the state of the ret of the house - if it is the only thing letting it down it may be more worthwhile but if the rest of the place looks like an explosion in a paint facotry, is there any point?

(having decorated every single room in my last house in different colours, I am now going through a magnolia phase as a reaction)


what does the estate agent suggest?

never_enough

I dislike magnolia but have always sloshed it around before a sale as I recognise that our taste for dark green or red has limited appeal. :rolleyes:
On the other hand I have never bought a house that was painted neutrally or done-up in any way.
Totally agree with Doozergirl though (as so often), subtle is the way forward in the lifestyle stakes. A tablecloth is fine, having a fully laid dining table, especially for daytime viewings, can look odd.

Horasio

We have bought and sold a few houses. You want to make the place look as simple and as uncluttered as possible.

Strong colours are OK if you think people will share your taste but safe is better. Cream/magnolia is a blank canvas, so if they wanted to they could paint a Union Jack or rainbows in the living room if they want!

Terracotta is OK in kitchens. We had terracotta in our hall and painted it cream. It took us ages to cover it up which involved time and cost. Our hallway looked a lot brighter and bigger after painting it cream.

People aren't going to buy your table but a cloth would look tidier.

You are selling the dream in your home. Work out who your market is and accessorise to suit.

Horasio

sarah_elton wrote: »

Quick tip if you do repaint - cover the 'terracotta' with a couple of coats of the cheapest bright white emulsion you can find (e.g. B&Q Basics). Then use Dulux magnolia over the top.

I made the rookie mistake in my first place of covering a bright lilac room with Dulux Magnolia and it took four coats. :eek: Dulux gives a great finish but doesn't cover too well, so don't waste your money on lots of coats of it.

If your OH isn't about due to work, could you get a few mates round for a paint party? Reward them with some beer/wine at the end of it and then you can take turns to pop out of the room to check on your little one (unless you can deposit her somewhere for the day).

You should be able to do 2-3 coats in a day if you start early as emulsion only needs a couple of hours to go dry enough for another coat.

Yes, don't believe the ONCE covering it in one coat either.

Like you say, build up with white basecoat, then finish with a good magnolia

00ec25

walls in my friend's house were painted a sky blue. they owned it 10+ years and I thought it looked OK. It sat on the market for 9 months (2005) with viewings but no offers.

They repainted it magnolia (and hated living there anymore!). I did not know about this in advance and when i next visited I walked into the room and said gosh isn't it bright, it was like being in a totally different house. It sold within another month.

always worth neutralising colour schemes when selling

as for furniture sadly many people do judge the quality of the fittings rather than looking at the house they are buying

sunshine_shell

i will sound like a right snob but.... a lick of paint when you move in isn't bad but having to replace kitchens and bathrooms will, the cost of time and money will put me off a place, although when i went to see a place i thought it was strange that there were no photos of the bedrooms in the details, when i got up the stairs i understood why... it looked like a paint factory had exploded there were 3 different colours in each room it was awful... thankfully there were some structural problems with the extension and thats the excuse we gave for the feedback.