Painting Do's and Don'ts for Home Sellers
By Mark Nash

It's easy, quick and cheap, but don't make the mistake that it can cure every homes woes. To do it right when selling you should follow some basic rules of using paint as part of your home marketing to-do list. Mark Nash author of 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home shares some tried and true tips on how to get the most mileage out of repainting a room or an entire house.

-To make the living space of a home appear larger or flow more easily use the same color or hues of the same color in adjoining rooms. The key is to keep the eye moving. Recently a home seller had painted each room on the first floor a different bold trend color, it shrunk the home visually and made it much darker. A new tone-on-tone color scheme I suggested expanded and lightened the house, and it sold soon after the redo.

-Use eggshell paint on the walls and semi-gloss on woodwork and trim. White is a fail-safe trim color. Buyers get always imagine their wall color choice with white trim and they like that they won't have to repaint the trim.

-To expand room height paint the ceiling a different but light color than the walls. A decorator tip that really works is to add some blue tint to your white ceiling color.

-Don't paint laminate kitchen cabinets, the paint peels and wears easily and looks like a quick fix.

-For a quality paint job, preparation is important. Walls and trim should be sanded, spackled and cleaned, for paint to adhere properly.

-Light paint colors require two coats, darker colors three or four. Prime everything once to even existing surface colors out before using finish colors. Gloss finishes show wall imperfections more than flat finishes, use sparingly.

-Use quality paints. It might not make sense to buy better paint if you won't enjoy it, but inexpensive paints can really cheapen a paint job and the home. The small cost difference isn't worth the gamble.

-Bring paint samples home from home improvement stores to accurately match with carpets and fabrics. Paint manufactures now offer sample sizes, do a wall test of any color your thinking of using. Colors look different in different lighting and times of day.

-Don't be tempted to use faux finishes, leafing or glazes. They're trendy and very specific in taste. Buyers will think it will take extra time and expense to remove and change them.

-Do take the time to put down drop clothes, tape trim and window mullions, remove switch plates and curtain hardware. Paint drips and stains lack attention of detail to home buyers.

-Think twice before have a bath tub or ceramic tile repainted or finished. To get a good new finish on these surfaces is difficult and buyers run from bubbled bathtub make over's.

-If you're not the best painter or time-starved to do the job right, hire a professional to come in and paint. You can focus on other jobs to be done before the marketing of your home begins and it will eliminate additional stress.

Mark Nash's fourth real estate book, "1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home" (2005), and working as a real estate broker in Chicago are the foundation for his consumer-centric real estate perspective which has been featured on ABC-TV, CBS The Early Show, Bloomberg TV, CNN-TV, Chicago Sun Times & Tribune, Fidelity Investor’s Weekly, Dow Jones Market Watch, HGTVpro.com, MSNBC.com, The New York Times, Realty Times, Universal Press Syndicate and USA Today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Nash

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The Wonders of Painting Your Home for Sale
By Barbara Thorp - Oz Free Real Estate

Let's admit it, whatever our reasons for being attracted to a real estate property for sale, whether they be location, size, price, proximity, etc, etc, whatever they are, it still boils down to one thing: We are still primarily motivated by what we see.

Which is why the paintwork is very crucial when you're considering putting up your home for sale. Indeed, paint spells the difference between a house that gets sold for a winsome price, and one that gets ignored.

Whether you need a major paint job for your home or just some minor touching up, only you can decide. But whatever you do, painting should be approached in a systematic manner.

The Basics in Painting.

If you have rooms that are on the small side, paint them with a lighter colour. Lighter colours make a room look larger. Conversely, dark colours make a room seem smaller.

Before you selecting colours, experiment with small patches of your house first. Colours in samples often translates to a very different appearance on your walls. To save money, time and frustration, buy a small amount of the colour of your choice and apply it to a small part of the wall in question. Let it dry and decide whether it is what you really want. Often, experimenting with colours can lead to spectacular results you didn't plan on. So don't be shy.

Remember to record the mix of the paint on the can so that whenever you need to re-order, you can effortlessly duplicate the right shade of colour.

What to Paint With.

Choosing the right paint depends on the particular area you're painting. Generally, there are two paint types: water based or solvent based.

Go for water-based paints when doing walls and ceilings. They're easy to apply, touch dry in 20 minutes, can usually be re-coated in two hours, and clean up in water.

A semi-gloss or satin finish acrylic, on the other hand, gives a hardy surface in high traffic areas, such as kitchens, family rooms or children's rooms.

Flat or low sheen acrylic or vinyls are better suited for more formal areas like dining rooms, bedrooms and lounge rooms.

For ceilings, try a special ultra flat plastic known as ceiling white that helps mask imperfections. But choose one that doesn't drip.

For areas that need constant cleaning, such as doors, windows and furniture, or walls subjected to frequent dampness, you can't go wrong with solvent-based enamel paint. It gives hard-wearing surfaces a tough finish. Kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms are popular with enamel paint.

At the end of the day, the physical appearance of your home will be the reason a prospective buyer will make an offer. Paint your way to a successful home for sale then.

Barbara writes articles and press releases for http://www.ozfreeonline.com - this piece she made served as an article exclusive for http://realestate.ozfreeonline.com - which offers a comprehensive list of office & commercial real estates, homes for rent or sell and an apartment finder to thousands of properties in Australia.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Barbara_Thorp_-_Oz_Free_Real_Estate

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Better Communication for a Better Paint Job - It’s a Two Way Street
By Michael Fahey

Poor communication is a leading reason for a bad home improvement project. Whether it is missed appointments, late arrivals, or long absences of the contractor, better communication can ease this sometimes painful process.

Painting existing homes can bring with it a lot of extra work which may not be included in the original bid. An experienced contractor will generally do a thorough walkthrough on the job, but cannot determine all the things which may come up. He will then complete a quote which he feels is reasonable and put in extra time for unforeseen prep. He may use ambiguous descriptions to describe prep like “as determined by contractor” or “as needed”. This is a mistake.

The homeowner, on the other hand, sees it a different way. He sees, in most cases, a painted room to perfection (the end result). Where the contractor knows he will cut around switch plates, cable outlet, and other protrusions, the homeowner is expecting all plates to be removed. This “lack of attention” to detail will create concern and start the job off on the wrong foot as the homeowner will likely have doubts about their decision. This lack of communication will create issues on most jobs, and magnify the slightest problem.

Although this seems minor, it does cause problems. On exterior jobs, it is much worse. Chipping paint, rust and other issues must be dealt with. If the contractor does not their proposal in detail with the homeowner, they automatically set HIGHER EXPECTATIONS, especially if the quote is higher than others. Communicating the details of the job is just as important as estimating properly. It can save your company money and minimize concerns of the homeowner by alleviating future problems.

Whether interior or exterior, a detailed walkthrough and explanation of how work will be completed goes a long way to making the job a good one. Do the following during walk through:

• Use a halogen lamp to expose flaws in the wall which may go undetected.

• If you are matching paint, use a pocket pallet provided by some paint manufacturers, it is easy to use and very professional.

• Make note, of imperfections and how they will be repaired in detail

• Explain how taping will be done, what and where

• Explain set up in each room; who moves furniture, etc

• Focus on eye level flaws, but inspect corners/closets with homeowner

These items may seem basic, but most homeowners will focus on the flaws and most contractors won’t thoroughly explain how they will work.

Once the scope of work is determined, the home owner should be made aware of who will be doing the work and when. If a new crew member is assigned, call them and let them know. They also should be made aware of who will handle any issues and concerns. Who will inspect the work and handle the completion details. More homeowners express dissatisfaction when the person they deal with only shows up when checks are written. Explaining this upfront gives the homeowner the belief that you are detail oriented and professional. It makes them feel you are on top of their job.

Although most of this is written “to the contractor”, the homeowner should expect this level of service from their contractor, and should ask these questions anyway. It makes sense to want to know who will be in your home. It is the homeowner’s responsibility to know and to ask.

The bottom line is most rooms professionally painted will look fine when the job is done. Once a room is decorated, and furniture is moved in the flaws won’t be noticeable. As long as the homeowner and contractor were on the same page, both should be satisfied.

Michael Fahey publishes The Trades Journal, http://www.thetradesjournal.com An online guide for homeowners to find contractors. He has performed renovations and inspections in over 15,000 homes as a licensed general contractor. Information obtained from large pool of feedback from satisfied homeowners and professional contractors. He completed studies for Oak Ridge National Labs and Pacific Gas & Electric, both of which required recovery of information on customer satisfaction of work performed.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Fahey

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Interior Painting Tips

One of the easiest and best ways to make your home look better is to paint the interior of your home. There are a lot of painters out there though, so here are a few tips to help you narrow down your options:

• Checking references of painters is especially important as it is very easy for someone to call themselves a painter. Considering that painters do much of their work without you around, there is no way to know they have done what they were supposed to until it is too late. If they don't put down primer everywhere you won't know until there has been damage and discoloration, so be diligent.
  
  
• When checking past work of painters don't just rely on pictures, as the photos will most likely be of recently completed jobs.   Go see some of the work they did some time ago to see how their work holds up.
  
  
• Be sure to make the proper preparations, like clearing out the room, or covering up the furniture to avoid accidents.
  
  
• Discuss the best type of paint and finish (flat, semi-gloss, satin) for your project.  Understand the maintenance and cleaning options with each.
  
  
• Be clear on what is to be painted, the materials being used, and how it will be applied.  Get it all in writing.
  
  
• Make sure the interior painters will take the steps needed to protect other areas of your home not being painted, like windows.
  
  
• Keep in mind that light colors make the room seem bigger and more open, while darker colors make the room seem smaller.
  
  
• Tightly close any left over paint and store in a safe place. If you need to make touch ups down the road, you'll be thankful you did.
  
  
• Make sure to record the manufacturer and ID number of the paint should you need to purchase more in the future.

Contractors that do this may also provide the following services:

• House Painting
• Wallpapering
• Handyman

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