Y O U R F A V O R I T E F L X R e a l E s t a t e A g e n t Paint Colors That Sell The Paint Colors That Make Your Home Feel Fresh, Current & Buyer-Ready P A I N T S M A R T · S H O W B E A U T I F U L L Y · S E L L C O N F I D E N T L Y Jennifer Heitmann Jennifer Heitmann Real Estate - Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker Jenniferheitmann.howardhanna.com • 315-382-9397

B E F O R E Y O U B E G I N Hello, This guide was created with one goal in mind — helping you choose paint colors that make your home feel fresh, inviting, and ready for buyers. Choosing the right paint before selling isn’t about making every room look the same or removing all personality. It’s about creating a beautiful, cohesive backdrop that allows buyers to notice the home itself — the natural light, the space, the finishes, and the possibilities. Inside, you’ll find thoughtfully selected colors for everything from your main living spaces and interior doors to your front door, along with guidance on finishes, sheens, and where each works best. No endless paint chips. No second-guessing every shade. Just a simple, room-by-room approach to creating a home that photographs beautifully, shows well, and feels move-in ready. A little paint can make a very big first impression. Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker Jennifer Heitmann P.S. If questions come up along the way, you don't have to figure it out alone — we're here when you're ready.

H O W T O D E C I D E The Four Paint Decisions Before opening a paint can, make these four decisions. Getting these right will make the rest of your color choices much easier. K E E P Not every room needs to be repainted. If the existing color is neutral, current, in good condition, and photographs well, leave it alone. Paint where it will make a noticeable difference. N E U T R A L I Z E Bold, dark, highly personal, or dated colors may distract buyers. Soft whites, warm neutrals, and light greiges create a quieter backdrop and help the home feel more cohesive. R E F R E S H Sometimes the color is fine — the walls just look tired. Scuffs, patches, fading, nail holes, and years of wear can make an otherwise beautiful room feel neglected. A fresh coat can be enough. A C C E N T Doors, cabinetry, vanities, built-ins, or even the front door can sometimes handle more personality. Use deeper or more distinctive colors intentionally rather than throughout the entire home. T H E T H R E E Q U E S T I O N S Before deciding whether to paint a space, ask: 1. Does this color photograph well? 2. Does it work with the home’s existing fixed finishes? 3. Will it appeal to a broad range of buyers? If the answer to any of these is no, that room may be a good candidate for a color refresh. T H E S E L L E R S R U L E The goal isn’t to make every surface white. It’s to create a home that feels fresh, cohesive, bright, and easy for buyers to imagine as their own. The Seller Paint Edit· Jennifer Heitmann Real Estate 3

W E E K O N E See What Paint Can Do. Focus What to do Main Living Areas Start with the rooms buyers see first. Neutralizing bold or dated colors can instantly make these spaces feel brighter and more current. Entryway Create a clean first impression with a light, welcoming neutral that flows naturally into the rest of the home. Kitchen Keep wall color simple and let cabinetry, counters and finishes take center stage. Bedrooms Replace highly personal colors with calm, soft neutrals that make rooms feel restful and easy to imagine as their own. Doors + Trim Touch up scuffs and yellowing paint. Fresh, crisp trim can make the entire home feel cleaner and better maintained. T H E G O A L 4 The Seller Paint Edit· Jennifer Heitmann Real Estate Before repainting the entire house, focus on the spaces where a fresh, neutral color will make the biggest visual difference. You’re not trying to erase personality — you’re creating a beautiful backdrop for the home. The right neutral can make the same room feel lighter, larger, fresher and more cohesive without changing anything else. BEFORE AFTER

C U R B A P P E A L The Front Door Edit 5The Seller Paint Edit· Jennifer Heitmann Real Estate Before buyers notice the kitchen, the flooring, or the finishes, they meet the front door. Make that first impression count. THE COLOR RULE Your front door doesn’t need to be boring — it needs to feel intentional. Choose a shade that complements your home’s brick, stone, siding, roof, and trim rather than competing with them. For broad buyer appeal, think classic, grounded, and welcoming. BEFORE YOU PAINT Look at your door from the street, not just from the porch. Test your color in morning and afternoon light, and always sample it next to the home’s permanent exterior finishes. A color can look very different outside than it does on a paint chip. Then replace the large bottom Two-Year Rule box with this:

6TOP 6 COLORS TO USE

Don’t Forget the Doors + Trim CHECK LOOK FOR WHAT TO DO Interior Doors Scuffs, fingerprints, chips + yellowing Clean first. If they still look tired, a fresh coat can make them feel new again. Baseboa rds Dust, marks, chips + discoloration Clean thoroughly, fill obvious damage and touch up where needed. Door Frames Worn corners + dirty edges These high-touch areas are easy to overlook but noticeable to buyers. Window Trim Fading, cracks + inconsistent color Fresh trim creates a crisp frame around the natural light buyers love. Closet Doors Dings, outdated color + wear Give them the same attention as the rest of the room for a cohesive finish. Hardwar e Loose, dated or mismatched pieces Tighten, clean or replace when necessary. Consistency makes the home feel more polished. 6 Walls get most of the attention, but doors, baseboards and trim are often where years of everyday living show up first.WHITE ISN’T JUST WHITE Your trim and door color should work with your wall color. Some whites lean warm and creamy, while others are cool and crisp. Pairing the wrong undertones can make freshly painted walls or trim look yellow, gray or dingy. The easiest approach: choose your wall color first, then select a white that complements its undertone.

Before You Buy the Paint The right color is only half the decision. Lighting, undertones, sheen and the surfaces already in your home can completely change how a color looks. 01 — SAMPLE IT FIRST Never choose a color from the tiny paper swatch alone. Paint a large sample or use a removable sample sheet and place it on more than one wall. Look at it in the morning, afternoon and evening. WHY: The same paint color can look warm and creamy on one wall and cooler or grayer on another. 8 02 — WATCH THE UNDERTONES Every neutral has an undertone. Whites, beiges and greiges can lean warm, cool, green, pink, yellow or gray. Compare your sample directly against the things that aren’t changing: Flooring · Countertops · Cabinets · Tile · Stone · Fireplace · Large furnishings Your paint should work with those finishes—not fight them. 03 — CHOOSE THE RIGHT SHEEN This is where I would incorporate your sheen graphics in a horizontal strip. FLAT / MATTE Ceilings + select low-traffic walls EGGSHELL Living rooms + bedrooms SATIN Hallways + high-traffic areas SEMI-GLOSS Doors + trim + cabinetry GLOSS Use sparingly for statement details 04 — DON’T FORGET THE LIGHT BULBS This is a GREAT seller tip that most paint guides leave out. A beautiful neutral can suddenly look yellow, blue or dingy under the wrong bulb. Before listing, check that bulbs throughout connected spaces have a consistent color temperature. Mixing warm yellow bulbs with cooler white bulbs can make both your paint and listing photos feel inconsistent. THE 5-SWATCH RULE Don’t bring home 27 paint chips. Narrow your choices to 3–5 colors, sample them in the actual space, eliminate the obvious “no’s,” and live with the finalists for at least a full day. The goal isn’t finding the most interesting color. It’s finding the color that makes the HOME look its best.

R E A D Y T O L I S T A Fresh Coat. A Stronger First Impression. Painting before you sell isn’t about making your home perfect. It’s about helping buyers see the best version of it. The right colors can create a home that feels fresh, cohesive and move-in ready — while allowing the features buyers are really purchasing to take center stage. B E F O R E Y O U P I C K U P A B R U S H • Start with the rooms buyers see first • Sample every color in the actual space • Check it in morning + evening light • Coordinate with flooring, cabinets + countertops N O T S U R E W H A T ’ S W O R T H P A I N T I N G ? Before spending a weekend — or thousands of dollars — repainting, let’s take a look together. We can help you identify which updates are likely to make the biggest difference when preparing your home for the market and which ones may not be worth doing. Jennifer Heitmann Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker jenniferheitmann.howardhanna.com · 315-382-9397