hacks

selling your place? take these paint tips from a seasoned home stager

Living room in green and white hues/Photography: Rebecca Duke/A room designed by home stager Meridith Baer.

Home sales are down and prices are up. If you're thinking of selling, why not use paint choice to your advantage? Home staging pioneer Meridith Baer, knows a thing or two about moving major real estate, having leveraged design principles to help get billions of dollars in real estate sold. She shares tips for painting your home to increase its buyer-friendliness.

White and black living area/Photography: Courtesy of Meridith Baer Home/This crisp white and black themed living space is designed to help sell the home.

Go for white inside...

"When I walk into an older home that we are preparing to bring to market, I always like to make the property feel as fresh and bright as possible. Giving a home a fresh coat of white paint really allows us to then set the stage that enables the prospective buyer to envision themselves in the home," says Meridith. (Try some of our favorite white paint samples and white sample sets if you need help sampling.)

Opt for soft whites indoors, recommends Meridith. "I always recommend painting public rooms in a nice soft white. I like Decorator's White by Benjamin Moore. It's not too stark and doesn't go yellow."

A neutral kitchen/Photography: Courtesy of Meridith Baer Home/Go for neutral, chic, and understated when trying to sell your home.

... and color out front!

Consider what potential buyers will be greeted with: your front door. "The first impression is most likely the front door so I always make sure to give that a fresh coat of paint as well," says Meridith, who works in Los Angeles, and beyond. "I love a glossy black or red for a classic traditional, chalky greens and blues for the charming Spanish bungalows that dot the L.A. landscape."

start with samples

Ready to take some of those suggestions? Get started by sampling! Shop some of the hues mentioned in this story and see what they look like on your wall.