House painting color; with an eye towards resale

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Mykle57

Recycles dryer sheets
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Andover
Hi folks, need some other opinions. My smallish cape-cod style house is in need of a repaint. This is something i do myself.
Currently it's beige/tan, white trim, red shutters. For me, I'd repaint with the same color scheme. But, if I was thinking resale in a couple years, what would you go with?
I've noticed all the flippers in my area repaint in a medium grey, white trim & black shutters. Problem I see is they all look cookie-cutter; monotonous. Maybe that style is on the way out.

(Mods: feel free to move this to the appropriate forum).
 
I personally wouldn't spend money on a paint expert. I wouldn't be surprised if flippers buy those colors in 55 gallon drums to save money.

If you like your colors use them again. If you sell and the biggest complaint is you red shutters consider yourself lucky.
 
Contrast can help. Beige/tan with white trim does not have much contrast. You could stay with beige/tan on the house to be different than the grey of the neighborhood and then use a different color for trim to make it stand out and add contrast besides the red shutters. I assume you are not set on keeping the red shutters which opens more possibilities.

I can't tell you what colors to use, just look around and see what you like on other houses or pictures.
 
Mykle57 said:
Hi folks, need some other opinions. My smallish cape-cod style house is in need of a repaint. This is something i do myself.
Currently it's beige/tan, white trim, red shutters. For me, I'd repaint with the same color scheme. But, if I was thinking resale in a couple years, what would you go with? ...
Click to expand...

Our house is beige/tan (actually we call it khaki) with white trim and burnt orange entry door and decks/deck railings. We like it... the burnt orange adds some "pop" but isn't too bright.
 
Mykle57 said:
Hi folks, need some other opinions. My smallish cape-cod style house is in need of a repaint. This is something i do myself.
Currently it's beige/tan, white trim, red shutters. For me, I'd repaint with the same color scheme. But, if I was thinking resale in a couple years, what would you go with?
I've noticed all the flippers in my area repaint in a medium grey, white trim & black shutters. Problem I see is they all look cookie-cutter; monotonous. Maybe that style is on the way out.

(Mods: feel free to move this to the appropriate forum).
Click to expand...

In a couple of years, styles may have changed.

For now, paint it to please yourself. When/if the time comes to sell, work with a good real estate agent who will advise you of the current color preferences among buyers.
 
Paint stores have lots of free booklets from paint mfrs that show color combinations--go get those and see if you like any of them. Your current scheme sounds lovely, and the shutter color can easily be repainted to black if that's what you think might help sell one day in the future.
 
Pull colors from existing elements. If you have stone or brick accents, look to them for clues. Also take into account any color tones in your roof shingles. Many have tonality that people ignore. I notice it all the time. Also paint your front door it’s own unique color that is not repeated elsewhere.
 
Go with what you like, and what suits your area/neighborhood. A "couple years out" on color schemes means you can't really guess what will be popular. While things shouldn't change dramatically in less than 5 years, and less with exterior and interior, it's hard to predict.

Unless your scheme looks odd and different to the neighborhood, it's probably not going to make any difference.
 
Purple? Red? It doesn't matter. Do exactly what you want. No one that is serious about real estate is going to turn away from your house based on exterior color. Now if you were going with vinyl or aluminum siding, then I would be more cautious. I have no idea what it would cost to repaint your house but lets say $5K. That's your max risk if you go to sell. Someone may ask for you to lower your price for the cost of a repaint. Very unlikely IMHO. Be bold!
 
I wouldn't let exterior color affect my decision to buy. Decor can always be changed.
 
Do what you want. I don't think there's a recommended color scheme for resale homes as long as it is appropriate for the neighborhood. I often enjoy looking at what other people have done as a starting point for my color choices. I think I suck at being creative with color and it just makes it easier for me to visualize how colors will go together. You can Google 'Cape Cod style exteriors' to see almost every color combination imaginable.
 
Make sure it doesn't clash with the roof. You really don't want brown shingles and a gray house (IMO)
 
Years ago I had a house in a dull beige that just seemed depressing to me, especially since it was heavily wooded. The siding wasn't in great shape so I decided to go with vinyl siding, and went with a brighter light blue. The siding guy had about 8 samples of siding/trim combinations they recommended and this was the one I liked best, and felt I wasn't going too far out on a limb. It wasn't the brightest in the neighborhood but most were more earth tones. A few years later I sold, and just before closing my realtor told me that the one thing they didn't like about the house was the siding color. But it did sell. Who knows, maybe even though they didn't care for it, it did catch their eye to begin with?

Your colors sound reasonable to me. You could talk to a realtor and see what they think. I've heard that a bright front door can be attractive, as had already been mentioned.
 
So many suggest “do want you want”. Color is tricky. If you don’t understand how color plays with the surrounding area, the roof, fading issues, curb appeal...get some advice. It’s cheap in the long run.
 
Can you post pictures? If so we can give suggestions. Otherwise, paint it the colors you have. Repainting a door and shutters is very easy if you want to go more neutral when you sell.
 
I noticed that a house the next street over from mine is white with a blue roof and purple front door and shutters. The roof and door/shutters definitely do not work well together.
 
Carol1862 said:
Can you post pictures? If so we can give suggestions. Otherwise, paint it the colors you have. Repainting a door and shutters is very easy if you want to go more neutral when you sell.
Click to expand...
There she is 20190708_153517.jpeg
 
Pretty house! Paint it for yourself imo. I looked at HGTV (where all the young'un potential homebuyers get their inspiration) for you. Image 24 on this site https://www.hgtv.com/remodel/outdoors/20-inviting-home-exterior-color-palettes-pictures with Sherwin-Williams paint has your roof color, a barely beige main color called Oyster White, white trim, and teal-ish shutters called Drizzle, with a wooden door. Looks very fresh. You could easily switch out the shutter color.
 
Cute house. I wouldn't paint it gray. First, it will clash with your brown roof. Second, colors move in 10-12 year trend cycles. We're on about year 15 of gray being in. I'd pick something different, but similar to what you have. Bestwifeever has a good combo. If the Drizzle isn't classic enough for you, maybe a navy for shutters.
 
Mykle57 said:
Hi folks, need some other opinions. My smallish cape-cod style house is in need of a repaint. This is something i do myself.
Currently it's beige/tan, white trim, red shutters. For me, I'd repaint with the same color scheme. But, if I was thinking resale in a couple years, what would you go with?
I've noticed all the flippers in my area repaint in a medium grey, white trim & black shutters. Problem I see is they all look cookie-cutter; monotonous. Maybe that style is on the way out.

(Mods: feel free to move this to the appropriate forum).
Click to expand...

since this is for 'possible sale ' in the future and styles change over time

how about something near white ( pick a tint you like ) and let the highlights ( trim , doors , shutters ) do all the work , you can always repaint them if you decide to sell later ( quickly ) to get closer to current fashions
 
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