If you are contemplating selling your home, consider sprucing it up with a fresh coat of paint before putting up the “For Sale” sign. This relatively inexpensive investment will enhance your home’s curb appeal, its first impression on a prospective buyer. In addition, real estate professionals agree that a good first impression is critically important when selling any home.

An attractive quality paint job imparts the kind of well-maintained appearance to a home that gives it a distinct selling advantage. As a result, when selling your home, repainting is really more like an investment than an expense.

You may choose to hire a painting contractor, or to paint the house yourself. Regardless of who does the work, however, it is crucial to do the painting in a quality fashion.

Tips and Pointers for Painting Your Home:

• Use a top quality 100% acrylic latex paint
A recently applied, high quality acrylic latex paint can last 10 years or more and translates into many years of freedom from maintenance for prospective buyers.

• When selecting an exterior color, be conservative
White and neutral colors are often the safest choices, since they will appeal to the greatest number of prospective buyers. When painting for a potential sale, it is often not the time to have the most striking paint scheme in the neighborhood.

• Include quality surface preparation in the work. Properly preparing the surface for painting will produce the best appearance, and add to the life-expectancy of the paint job.

• Finish painting before putting the home on the market. A completed and attractive paint job will assist with that critical first impression as potential buyers consider and view your home.

So, if you are thinking about selling your home, don’t throw away your paint brush. Picking it up might just be the best thing you can do.