By Jeanette Joy Fisher

Selecting the right colors to paint a resale home can make a huge difference in your paycheck at closing. For instance, did you know that the exterior color of houses selling most quickly is a certain shade of yellow, but that choosing the wrong shade of yellow can kill a sale?

However, during the hot summer months, yellow needs tempering with cool colors like navy and forest green. If your home has pale yellow siding in good condition, add some cool colors to make the house more inviting in hot weather.

How to Select Colors for the Exterior

You'll find many brochures in paint and home improvement stores, showing various combinations of exterior paint colors. But most people don't realize that most of those combinations actually include three colors, and not just two. Limiting your exterior paint scheme to just two colors also limits your income potential.

For a fast sale, think fun colors and go for a third, or even a fourth, exterior color. Think "Disneyland Main Street," where every shop is painted in glorious multi-colors. Adding more colors will also add definition to the various architectural details of your home. Use gloss or semi-gloss paint on wood trim.

When selecting exterior colors, consider the sales price of your home. Certain colors, especially muted, complex shades, attract sophisticated move-up buyers, whereas younger first-time home buyers generally prefer simple colors. A complex color contains tints of black, gray, or brown, and usually requires more than one word to describe, such as "sage green," as opposed to "green." In comparison, simple colors feel straightforward and pure. Generally, houses in the lower-price range sell faster and for higher prices when painted in simple colors like yellow or tan, accented by white, blue, or green trim.

When getting ready to paint your house, look at the colors of neighboring houses and choose colors that harmonize, yet stand out from the crowd. Colors that clash badly with other houses will detract from the overall neighborhood.

At the beginning of the article, I told you that homes with yellow exteriors sell the quickest. But which shade of yellow sells best? First, the yellows to avoid: yellows with green undertones look sickly to most buyers, and yellows with orange undertones give buyers an impression of cheapness.

The best-selling yellow exterior color is actually a pale, sunny yellow, especially when complimented with one or more carefully-chosen accent colors. For iexample, a semi-gloss white trim will give your home a clean and fresh look, and adding a third color, such as green, can make your home even more attractive to prospective buyers.

Colors affect human beings in many ways, and by using the principles of Color Psychology, you can make your home stand out from your competition, sell faster, and at a higher price.

Sell Your Home for Top Dollar Fast

Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher