Anyone Good with Exterior Paint Colors? I Must Increase Curb Appeal to Sale.

Updated on November 12, 2010
L.K. asks from Austin, TX
15 answers

I own a rental property that I really need to sell. My realtor said I need to increase the curb appeal. I want to get the deck painted, trim and front door. The house has tan brick. I can't decide how we should paint it. I thought about a creme color and someone suggested painting the doors red, but I am not sure. Anyone have any suggestions on how to make it look better? I have attached a picture of the house. If you click on the picture it will enlarge it.

http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/16861965/1905-Patton-Ln-Au...

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J.T.

answers from Austin on

That brown does seem to not do much for the property. I would definitely add lighter colors. If you're not up for repainting the entire unit, I've seen pastel yellows and browns go good together so perhaps you could leave the trim brown and paint everything else a nice soft yellow?
If you're looking for someone to do this for you, try www.RitterRenovations.com.

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S.H.

answers from St. Louis on

well, I'm a color freak....so I'm actually surprising myself with this answer:

paint the whole danged thing ONE color....everything. Sorry...but there are NO redeeming features & that top porch is an eyesore. Paint it all out the same color, add some oversized planters, maybe do the main door in a slightly darker color. I'm thinking still tan for the overall color & just 2 shades darker for the door. & that's it. Using accent colors will just highlight the inadequacies & lack of actual design elements. Peace.

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A.H.

answers from New York on

looking at the pic.. you need color... like tan and then the rails and doors like a navy or something like that. or tan with maroon.... good luck

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C.M.

answers from Austin on

I agree the brown deck is ugly. Lighten it up to a softer taupe/beige a couple shades darker than the brick. Just before we bought our house, the previous owner "neutralized" everything, inside and out. The exterior is cream limestone and all the trim was painted beige, with cream on the deck, doors and window. I guess the house used to be "colonial blue". Everyone in the neighborhood said it was the most dramatic transformation ever. All the walls were painted beige, new beige carpeting and it looked clean and new. You definitely need some more plantings in front of the house. Large planters/pots of flowers. Go to the local nursery and ask for suggestions for this time of year. You might have to spend a couple hundred to get a really nice punch of color, but plants will make the front of the house look more inviting. I'd also add some evergreen plants in a large bed in front of the porch, but that might be more than you want to spend.

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C.S.

answers from Las Vegas on

I would tone down the dark brown. You can select colors and color match at Home Depot or Lowes. Our development requires 3 colors and I like that look. I would do the base of the house a light color, the outlines a darker color and the doors, window seals and rails a popping color. You can color match all of this on a kiosk. As well, I would add some potted flowers with color. I know...it's winter. But you could even pot some shrubs to add the curb appeal without spending too much.

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M.Y.

answers from Austin on

I have a suggestion for your color choice. Try Behr paint at Home Depot with a color called Interlude. My husband and I have several rental properties and he also does painting and repairs for others. We used a very similar color combination on a property he did a few years ago. I will warn you the color is a purple, BUT it is a brownish purple and is very subtle. There is a house (it is a business) on Koenig Ln behind the Benjamin Moore Paint Co. that is painted with that color combination and it looks really awesome. When my hubby told me the owner wanted to paint it purple I though they were crazy, but the end result looked really crisp and clean. You might also want to consider powerwashing the whole house, driveway, and sidewalk to just shine it up a little so the new paint doesn't make the older stuff look really bad. This color will spice it up without being garrish. I would avoid painting anything more than the deck, trim, and doors as you have said since you are trying to sell and probably don't want to put too much money out on it. Try not to do anything too yellowy or creamy because in large doses on the exterior it can look aged and old even if it is freshly done. I wouldn't do white or really light either because it will enhance any and every flaw that is present. Remember to consider the roof color as well when picking your final choice. GOOD LUCK!

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K.E.

answers from Buffalo on

I think flowers would make it look really pretty, Hanging pots and window baskets on the banister and a small garder on the ground to make some color around the house. Painting the banister a lighter color would make it stand out away from the house a little. I would not go red, personally I really think keeping the trim dark brown compliments nicly and the little gardens would give it that nice touch.

L.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

I like the hunter green idea for the doors and window trim, it goes well with the blond brick. Maybe strip the decks and go with a dark wood stain, then you would have beige, brown and green. also, maybe the flower pots that are made for putting on the railings for the top deck, and have hanging ivy or blooms coming down a little bit to make it look more like one big home instead of 4 seperate homes.

If you are looking to show that it is 4 homes, then go with different colors, maybe catty corner the colors and do green on the top right and bottom left, and then Tan on the top left and botttom right?

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M.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I would paint the whole place white. Paint the trim around all the windows and the house black. Make the porch on the second floor dark red and also the door.

You a little more landscaping around the front walk. Also-on either side of the door...black urns with trees in them.

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B.L.

answers from Atlanta on

I graduated with a BFA in Interior Design. Here are my suggestions: Hang some potted plants on from the ceilings of the porches for one. Switch the way the colors are now. With the porch; a light biege (so it will stand out) and the house a dark brown (hide inperfections). The way it is now, the house is light and you can see all the imperfections and the porch is dark and menacing/overbearing looks like it is going to fall off the house. Painting a house red is a very bold move indeed. Don't do it. Red can be hell and if you don't know what you are doing, you can have a nightmare on your hands depending on the shade and how many coats etc. Stick with neutral colors. Can't go wrong there.
There is so many ways you could go with this house. You say it is brick, but you cant even tell by the picture. You might want to exploit that and bring it out....? Get rid of all the stuff on the bottom porch and put it on the side of the house or something, it is an eye sore. Then you could put two potted trees on each side of the front door...they will bring the eye up to the 2nd floor when looking at it from the street. I got tons of ideas. Cute liitle place. Good luck.

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M.S.

answers from Pueblo on

Hunter green for doors and the trim on windows. White or cream (yellow tint) for everything else. Can you afford to put up different railings on upper porch and do a matching pattern on the lower? It also says this is a multi family? Can you do something to landscape the front yard a bit - say make a bar-b-q area and seating area? How about where everyone parks? A new layer of gravel or paint for the parking lines? I also liked the idea of adding window boxes with flowers to the front windows.

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L.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

Is the color kind of brownish-olive? If so, we painted our house an olive color and did the deck/trim in Olympic Cracker Bitz. For the door we used a pop of color, a deep rusty orangish-red. Looks fantastic. I'd check out HGTV's Curb Appeal or Curb Appeal the Block for more ideas...

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R.S.

answers from New York on

I painted my door red, and it really made such a difference...I love it! And it was not that hard to do...I went to a local paint store and asked for advice, then played around with a few shades until I go the one I liked. I would recommend whatever color you choose, go a few shades darker, especially if your house is in bright sunlight - the sun augments every color and something that is too bright appears off. Looking at your house...how about a red door and black deck and trim, with a white or ivory brickface? That is classic and eyecatching.

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M.T.

answers from Austin on

Reds & yellows are iffy colors. Those are colors that some people just hate. My husband is one of them. When we were looking for a house he wouldn't even give a house a second thought if it was red, trim, brick, and any shade. Blues are welcoming and popular. If the deck is a blue with the wall of the house being biege or tan I think it will make it pop. Plus, trim the yard almost chizzled look and add plants. With it getting into the winter don't worry with planting flowers but if you have some nice potted ones(tall plants) sitting on the porch it will bring color. Trash cans in the back or garage. You almost need bushes in front of the porch to give levels but cold weather coming and takes a lot of effort. Also hang a plant or two from the balcony. Make sure carpet is cleaned thoroughly, fresh paint on walls if needed, polish wood and it wouldn't hurt to have a cinnamon smell in the house when ppl come to look at it. Our realator also told us to boil cinnamon or burn a cinnamon candle bc it gives the smell of home. We did the majority of the above and we had a contract in 1 and 1/2 weeks from being on the market and didn't have to negotiate much and closed receiving $5000 more than we were hoping to get.

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A.S.

answers from Denver on

Go to home depot or lowes and get the little booklets they have with exterior paint colors. They have ones with the main color, trim and accent all designed to match. Makes it really easy to select something to go with blonde brick :)

And yes, something with high contrast would help a lot. The brown looks very dated.

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