Selling your home? Think Paint + Light Fixtures

We are no experts in the buying and selling of houses, but Teal and I always talk about if you want to refresh your space, light fixtures and paint are the way to go. Our real estate agent partners preach this, so we are taking a page out of their book in this blog since it’s the same concept when staging your home to sell!

But why does this even matter if you are selling? Great question, because the home is more likely to sell if people can imagine themselves in the space and the listing has great photos!

In this blog we are going to give you our 3 favorite paint colors and 3 favorite light fixtures for a quick refresh. Don’t miss them!

But first, let’s talk about the history of The Treehouse…

When we bought our home (The Treehouse) the first design investment we made was paint, to be able to breathe and make the space feel like our own. If only the previous owners would have made a few quick updates, their house wouldn't have sat on the market for over a year (but I’m so glad it did because we swooped it up!). We then started updating light fixtures for a quick refresh. 8 years after the initial refresh we started a massive renovation to install canned lights and change the layout, but we wanted to be able to make it ours for the better part of decade before ripping up the drywall! If I didn’t have an eye for design, this house probably would have been a no. It’s so dark being in the trees in rainy Portland, but luckily I could see the potential of what it could be. Most buyers however don’t have that eye.

We are going to walk you through some simple steps you can take to make a huge difference in not only selling your home FASTER, but also getting top dollar, by refreshing light fixtures and paint.

BEFORE - Treehouse Entry / Living Room

When the house was purchased in 2013 the yellows, blues and creams were not working well. The house also needed updated lighting! Below you will see what we did to live with it for 8 years before remodeling, with the final transformation at the end.

BEFORE - Treehouse Dining (now Office)

The drop down chandelier and the splash of red made this dining room feel so dark and stark. We wanted it to be lighter and inviting. With paint and light fixtures, we were able to live with it for 8 years before we renovated to the final look (the now office).

PAINT:

While people might appreciate interior design and personality when visiting homes, what sells typically has less personality and color. WHY? Because people want to be able to envision themselves in the home, and if it’s customized to the family living there, it’s hard for buyers to picture themselves living there. Think whites, creams and grays when getting your house ready to sell. Here are some of our go-to favorite paint colors to make your home more marketable:

1- Cantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore for a crisp, clean white (especially ceilings and trim)

2- Hint of Vanilla by Miller Paint to add warmth with a touch of cream

3- Gray Owl by Benjamin Moore is a classic, but leans on the “cooler” side

If we were doing an interior design project, we’d have you test the samples and all that jazz, but I wouldn’t overthink it when getting your house ready to sell.

DURING - Treehouse Living Room

You can see here how the room went from yellow and sterile to light and bright to freshen it up and create a blank canvas to work with to add our personal touches. This is painted in Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore.

DURING - Treehouse Dining Room

We went for a dark and moody color in the dining room (circa 2014) with a beautiful chandelier that created a focal point for your eye. If I were staging to sell this home today, I would paint it all light (all walls the same). This paint color is Baby Seal Black by Benjamin Moore.

LIGHT FIXTURES: 

Light fixtures add character to every home, so if they aren’t done well or they are very dated, they can make buyers pause. Most buyers want a move-in ready home. We understand changing light fixtures might sound daunting, but focus on a few primary areas in your home that are especially noticeable from the front door and go from there. You can hire an electrician to come for a day to insteall however many you need. Even dated light fixtures can be spruced up with a high gloss lacquer paint and fresh bulbs, so you don’t always have to buy new – you can update as well!

1- Rejuvenation for a classic update in a more traditional or transitional home

2- Cedar & Moss for fun splash in a modern home

3- Crate & Barrel for a “can’t go wrong” look

And if you aren’t planning to sell after all, remodeling can make a world of a difference. See how The Treehouse transformed after nearly a decade of phases:

AFTER - Treehouse Living Room

This room completely changed by adding walnut book casing, but we enjoyed it for the better part of a decade with just changing the paint from yellow to white.

Photograph by Christopher Dibble

AFTER - Treehouse Office (former Dining Room)

This is a huge transformation that you probably don’t even recognize the space, but we enjoyed 8 years without a renovation because of paint and light fixture selections.

Was this blog insightful? Please let us know in the comments!

Don’t miss our How to Pick Light for a Space blog where we can help you with deciding which fixture to buy if you aren’t planning to sell your home!