Did you know your home could sell for about 20% more! Yes, this is possible with painting. Simply improving how your home looks and creating an illusion that appeals to home buyers can make your home actually worth more to home buyers.

Among the techniques used to achieve this is a good coat of paint. This is the most effective. A good paint job can turn an otherwise drab, dark looking home into a bright, and airy mansion that would be the envy of the neighborhood. Even the most aged and dreary homes can be given a new lease on life with a paint job.

All you need are a few tips, a good brush and roller and the nerve to start painting your your house!

Choosing the Right Color
This is THE most important step in planning a paint job for your home. The right color combination can effect the right mood and ambiance to hook those buyers that are looking to purchase your home. The wrong combination, however, might send them packing. How do you choose the right combination?

First of all, you may want to consider surveying preset color themes that are available in most bookstores. These books will typically list color combinations and the mood they evoke.

While perusing these themes, you will want to consider the existing fixtures, railings, and furniture in your home. Make sure the color combination you choose fits the existing furnishings in your home.

Remember that the most attractive homes to purchase are the ones that have a light, spacious, and cozy feel. The way your furnishings contrast and complement the color combination you choose will be critical in the success of your paint job.

Paint Considerations
You will need to consider the lighting in the room you will paint. As a general rule, you will want to purchase paint that is one or two shades lighter than the shade you want since paint generally seems darker when spread over a large area. It would also be safer if you tested the paint on a small area to see how the color plays out.

To control the illusion you want your room to project, you will need to understand how colors affect people’s perception of space. There are what's called advancing colors, these are the striking, warm toned colors such as orange, red, and yellow that have the effect of making the closed spaces of the room more pronounced. To improve the perception of space in your room, it would be nice to use cooler-toned, receding colors such as blue, green, and violet.

It is not only the color that affects the perception of size, the saturation and intensity of these colors also play a part in the room’s ambience. If the paint you choose is too dark or saturated, the room will still seem cramped. To achieve a spacious effect, you might want to stick to light, or neutral colors – white, pearl, or beige will do fine for this job. Remember that the colors that you choose should be neutral enough for anyone to live with.

You should also paint your ceilings a light color to give the impression of a higher ceiling.

The finish of the paint will also have a great deal of effect on the overall ambience of the room. Flat finishes are good for hiding minor imperfections on the walls. Eggshell or semi gloss finishes are great for adding a warm glow to the room, and are easy to clean and maintain. Glossy paint is good for emphasizing details and are the easiest to clean.

Now you know the secret to increasing your home’s value through painting. Good luck and have a great paint session!