Whether you’ve found your "forever" home or need to downsize, selling your existing property can be stressful at the best of times. And if your home is on the market, or has been for some time, you’ll want to make sure you get top dollar for it.
But before you consider splashing out on home improvements, take the advice from a wise expert. Emma Hernan is a luxury realtor at acclaimed The Oppenheim Group in Los Angeles, and glamorous star of hit Netflix show Selling Sunset. In addition, the entrepreneur is also CEO of her plant-based empanada company.
The Selling Sunset star shares her number one tip for selling a home — and it doesn’t require any big renovations. In fact, alongside these 9 essential decor tips that could help you sell your house, this one trick can instantly transform your home, and attract potential buyers. So what exactly is this top tip?
The one decor tip for selling
The answer is simply a fresh coat of paint? Yes, that is all! In an interview with Homes & Gardens, Hernan recommends that when selling a property, a coat of paint is the easiest decor tip that will guarantee a good return.
“I think that fresh paint inside and outside always pays off. I think it's the best return on the investment that you could have,' shares Hernan. “It honestly makes the home feel brand new.”
In addition, the elite, real estate agent believes that there is no need to overspend on renovations to sell a home, instead focus on refreshing or updating cosmetic touches. Not only is it a simple task and quick to do, but the reality is that most buyers would want to put their own personal stamp in the property once they move in. In other words, there’s no need spending time and effort on costly renovations, if they will only get ripped out by the new owners.
“When I have clients looking to sell, I don't recommend a massive remodel,” Hernan shares, “I honestly think it's about updating cosmetics and freshening the home up so that it's ready to hit the market.Someone's going to come in, and they're probably going to want to do their little fixtures and do their little home touches themselves anyways.”
Whether you’re refreshing a living room, bedroom or entryway, you’ll need to know how to choose the best paint for your interior finish — from durability to sheen.
Plus. check out these 7 clever painting hacks that you wish you knew sooner to help it become a less challenging job.
Top tips when painting a room
Before taking on the task of painting a room like a pro, you’ll need to consider these three essential tips that we often forget to do when doing a project.
Prep the room — Completely remove the furniture away from the walls where possible. For heavier pieces that may get in the way, shift into the center of the room and ensure these are properly covered with drop/decoration cloths.
Then cover the flooring with canvas drop cloths or sheets of cardboard. Secure these properly with tape to prevent the sheets from moving or slipping around. While this might seem time-consuming, this will all be worth it when it comes to protecting your flooring and furniture from paint stains.
Repair the walls — Before you get painting straight onto walls, you’ll need to check the condition of your walls first. Inspect the surface of the wall for any cracks, holes or dents that need to be repaired.
Then, apply caulk to fill in with a putty knife, and let it dry completely. We can recommend Dap 18128 Alex Plus Acrylic Latex Caulk Plus Silicone 5.5-Ounce - 4 Pack ($24, Amazon).
Once completely dry, lightly sand the area with a fine 220-grit sandpaper or sanding sponge to smoothen the surface. Then, wipe the surfaces clean with a damp cloth and allow to dry again. This will make all the difference the finish and end results.
Buy testers to sample paint — Even if you have a particular color in mind, the finished wall may look very different to the color chart. It’s always best to test a few samples of the paint color on a discreet patch of wall to give you an idea of how the color will look.
In addition, if you don’t want to test directly onto the wall, you can paint two coats on a foam board and tape it to the wall. This task will save you the hassle of repainting an entire room if you don’t like the final color.
Also, be sure to avoid these paint colors make your home look cheap!
More from Tom's Guide
