revealed: does decorating a house add property value?

If you’re a homeowner eager to put your property on the market and sell up, you’ll probably be familiar with this claim: that to increase its value you’ll have to pull your weight with expensive renovations and extensions. But does decorating a house (or flat) add property value?

Pssst! The answer is a resounding “yes!” In fact, we’re here to bust the myth that in order to add property value you have to execute a full-scale renovation. Spoilers: a lick of paint can be truly transformative. And here’s why…

first impressions count

We’ve all heard saying, but general presentation and surface looks go a lot further than we might first imagine. House clutter, peeling paint and chaotic décor can all overwhelm viewers and distract from the merits of your property.

These are all things that might put prospective buyers off as they be thinking “how much money will I need to fix this place up?” It’s basic psychology – the more effort we have to put into something, the less likely we are to commit to that decision.

Hence, why maintaining the appearance of a property that has been well-looked after, loved and maintained is so important. Paint your home in a good light and positive results are bound to ensue!

to get things started

Before we dive into our list of the simplest decorating tricks that will increase your home’s value, there are a few things we need to get straight first.

1.      get budgeting

Not everyone can be a Mr Moneybags. Some of us might not have the budget or capacity to carry out a bricks and mortar makeover – so setting a realistic budget is paramount.

Estimating the overall price of the tools and materials you’ll need, including rolls of wallpaper and litres of paint, will ensure you stay on track with your spending and don’t run into any unwanted surprises later down the line.

2.      be selective with your materials

When you pick out your materials, you’ll need to be careful to balance two crucial things: a) price and b) quality.

While you might not want to splash out on a designer paint brand, be cautious not to go too far down the other end of the scale. If you stumble on a poor-quality paint and have a bad experience with it, this will have a negative impact on your pocket and the environment.

The thriftier of us might even find a quality trade paint for a fraction of the price, colour matched to a designer shade. All you need to achieve your dream palette is the correct RAL code, NCS, British Standard Colour or equivalent colour palette codes.

Pro tip: if you’re less risk adverse, another option to save money is to get yourself on the receiving end of a paint recycling scheme such as Community Repaint. This is a scheme that allocates leftover paint within the community for free.

3.      follow the diy route

Redecorating is by far the most cost-effective way to increase your home’s value and we could sing it’s praise for days. It only takes a good paint and a competent DIY-er to kickstart a real transformation.

How decorating a house can add to property value

Decorating features that put off potential buyers

While these by no means devalue your property, according to a survey of estate agents, you’re more likely to achieve a higher offer if you avoid the following things:

• Houses with a badly maintained exterior
• Excessive or extravagant paint colours or wallpaper patterns
• Dark rooms, corridors or entryways

Go for kerb appeal

Kerb appeal is touted by estate agents as a sure-fire way to increase your property’s value. This means neatening up your driveway or house exterior.

External house colour

When it comes to brickwork, picking a colour is a headscratcher. This home improvement method can be expensive if you’re painting a large house, so make sure you’ve estimated the cost accurately.

Also don’t forget that neutral colours are your friends – bright and bold colours may be full of character, but for potential buyers this might be a dealbreaker.

Front door TLC

You can enliven a dreary façade with a tin of paint and a decent brush. Repaint your front door to give a memorable and welcoming first impression to anyone that enters.

Give your kitchen a lick of paint

While many interior designers talk out completely gutting a kitchen and replacing the units, giving your cabinets some TLC is also a brilliant way to brighten up and modernise the room.

With a new coat of paint accounting for a 25% increase in property value – if you’re going to pick one way of improving your chances for a higher asking price it’s got to be this one!

Make cramped rooms look bigger

Another inexpensive way to decorate your home and increase its value is to use colour to your advantage. Painting the walls of your home light and breezy neutrals will open up the space and provide a “clean” feel.

You can even switch up your ceiling colours, in order to make a space feel cosier and enveloping. Or the inverse, drawing attention to tall ceilings and casting an illusion of height.

Got any leftover paint from your other projects? Why not use that to smarten up your fences, outdoor furniture or garden walls?

Not only will this give your exterior surfaces a new lease of life, but by picking the right fence paint or exterior colours you can create the illusion of a bigger garden.

Use your green thumb

Pair your newly painted garden surfaces with some potted plants and other easy-to-acquire greenery for bonus points. You can’t go wrong with a bit of nature!

Do a deep clean

Before your prospective buyers come to view your house, make sure everything is in tip-top condition, as this might cloud their judgement. Run around the room with the vacuum, discard any rubbish lying around, use some room spray and ensure any cobwebs are brushed away.

Declutter and clear out

Do you have any unwanted furniture lying around? Is it difficult to navigate and see the dimensions of the room? If you answered yes to either of those questions, you might want to start decluttering your space.

You can ensure used furniture goes to a loving new home by putting it up on eBay or Gumtree. Or if it’s something more difficult to shift or that requires a little upcycling an option is to list for free on community giveaway sites such as Freecycle and Olio. That way you can eradicate any unnecessary waste.

improve your home & improve your prospects

Here are your key takeaways: enticing buyers to take an interest in your property doesn’t have to involve an astronomical price tag, and neither do you have to completely gut a room and start from scratch to add value. And does decorating a house add value? Certainly!

Strategic home improvements and tasteful decorating alone are enough to give your home an edge to prospective buyers – and that means you can avoid breaking the bank.

Explore more affordable decorating guides on the rest of our diy blog.