Award-winning Realtor Suzanne Nissen Presents Painting Tips for Selling Your House
Award-winning Realtor Suzanne Nissen expertly guides her clients during the home buying and selling process. Before we jump into her advice, let me tell you a bit about her. A lifelong resident of the Metrowest area, Suzanne Nissen has lived in Needham for 23 years. She has a Master’s Degree in Social Work. Suzanne’s years as a social worker provided her with the invaluable skills needed to really listen to her clients and hear their concerns. Suzanne’s greatest skill is advocating for her clients. She is dogged and persistent and ensures they are her first priority throughout the entire process.
Realtor Suzanne Nissen
Suzanne’s brokerage is Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Commonwealth Real Estate. She works with buyers and sellers, on their first home, or their tenth, and covers communities all over the MetroWest area. She often specializes with first time buyers as a valued advisor and also with seniors who are downsizing after being in their home for many years. Her strong management and negotiating skills make her the perfect choice to guide you through the often complicated and daunting process of a real estate transaction. Suzanne is eCertified, a certified Relocation agent, a Fine Homes Specialist, and a Certified Buyers Representative and has earned the distinction of multiple national awards including: Leading Edge Society, Top Producer, and Presidents Circle.
In her spare time, Suzanne has been Chair of the Patient Family Advisory Council at the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham, and a board member of 100 Women of Needham Who Care. Suzanne is a member of the Greater Boston Association of Realtors, and the National Association of Realtors. And now that you have a better idea of who Suzanne is, let’s dive into her home-selling advice.
Color
Color is key. If you are painting, stick with the more neutral and subtle colors. These hues allow your house to show much better to potential buyers. Potential buyers can imagine themselves more easily when the background (the neutral walls) is calm and airy. Today, the popular neutral colors are fresh and light – especially the grey hues. My favorite grey colors from Benjamin Moore Paints are Grey Owl, Stonington Grey, Classic Grey and Silver Chain. If you would like to have a more beige or brown neutral, there are taupe shades that have a grey tone. These colors are perfectly neutral and colorful for showcasing your home in the best light.
Trim and Door Touch-ups
Even if you do not have all of the rooms in your house repainted, one of the most helpful things you can do is have a painter come in and repaint your trim and doors. Trim and door touch-ups can do wonders for a space. In most homes, trim tends to be white or off-white. This color is beautiful on trim, but unfortunately it may be the first place in your home to show fingerprints and scuff marks, especially if your home has not been painted in a while. This holds true for painted stair risers. If your risers are looking dingy and beaten from all of those trips up and down the stairs, a touch-up is exactly what you need to help your home shine. Just by cleaning up the trim, baseboards, risers, and doors you can refresh the look of the whole house!
A Place for Bold Color
Sometimes home sellers, really want to keep a part of their personality in their home while it is on the market, or they feel that a space looks better with a bold color instead of a neutral. However, since neutrals work best when you are selling your home, a good solution is to paint only part of a wall with a bold color. If a room has a chair rail, you can paint just the upper half of the wall with a bold color and leave the bottom white. The same would work for a room with wainscoting. The bold color would go on top, while the wainscoting would be painted white or a neutral hue. This is particularly popular in dining rooms and it is a way to add color without painting the whole wall. If your space does not have a chair rail or wainscoting, you can still have a pop of bold color on an accent wall. This design looks lovely in practically any room in your home.
Pay Special Attention to Your Powder Rooms and Bathrooms
The state of your bathrooms or powder room can make your home easier or harder to sell. It is always helpful to make your bathrooms look as inviting as possible. Light peacock blues and fresh, light greys are popular. They lend a modern look and relaxing feel to any bathroom. A sure fire pick-me-up for a bathroom is to scrape away any chipping paint around tubs and showers. Having a painter apply a fresh coat of paint in the bathroom will freshen it up and go a long way to help it look more appealing. To get a clean and updated look, choose a scrub-able semi-gloss paint.
We hope you found Suzanne’s tips helpful. If you need more information about preparing your home for sale or would like to consult with Suzanne, you may contact her by calling her directly at (781) 608-8195 or toll free (781) 444-1234.
Be well,
Bill