Is it worth painting before selling?
Short answer: Painting before a sale can pay off if the walls are visibly marked. If the walls are in good condition with only occasional damage, touching up those spots is usually enough instead of repainting everything. Painting is one of the few jobs before a sale where the cost lies mainly in labour and time rather than materials, and that is why it pays off more often than most other work does.
When is it worth painting?
Paint when the state of the walls is the first thing a buyer notices in the room. Typical cases:
- The walls are noticeably dirty, scratched or marked where furniture has stood.
- The colours are strong or unusual and define the room more than the room itself does.
- Patches have been painted over before, leaving the wall uneven in appearance.
- The property is empty, so there is nothing to draw attention away from the walls.
When is touching up enough?
If the wall is generally sound with only occasional damage, touching up is usually the right approach: corners, the areas around door frames and the spots that have taken the most wear.
The condition is that you have the same paint, or can have it matched from a sample. A touch-up in the wrong colour or the wrong sheen is worse than no touch-up at all, because it draws the eye straight to the spot you meant to hide. If you do not have the colour, it is often simpler to paint one whole wall corner to corner than to try to hide a patch in the middle of it.
Which colours?
Stick to light, neutral tones: white or off-white, light grey, light beige. That achieves three things:
- The room becomes brighter and reads as larger, particularly in photographs.
- The buyer sees their own home rather than yours.
- It creates no work for the buyer – a strong colour means they will have to paint over it themselves.
Use the same colour in adjoining rooms where that makes sense. It makes the flat read as a whole rather than as a collection of different rooms.
Do the trim and ceilings need painting too?
No. The trim does not need painting just because the walls are. Usually only the wall is painted and the trim is left alone – it is the wall that takes the wear, and the wall that shows in photographs and at viewings. This shortens the job considerably and keeps the cost down.
Ceilings are rarely a problem unless there is visible damp, yellowing or signs of a leak – and in that case the cause has to be dealt with, not just painted over.
What about the common areas?
The common areas of a multi-unit building (sameign) are the responsibility of the húsfélag (the building’s owners’ association), and you cannot paint the stairwell on your own initiative. Whether and how to deal with the state of the common areas before a sale depends entirely on the property, the building and the situation within the húsfélag – there is no single general rule for it.
This is precisely one of the things worth going through with an estate agent before the property goes on the market. Contact Baldur fasteignasali (licensed estate agent) for advice on what to do in your case.
Cost in time against the benefit
Paint is cheap compared with almost anything else you can do before a sale. Materials are a small part of it; what you put into the job is time and effort – or a tradesman, if you buy the labour.
That is why painting sits higher up the list than larger works such as a new kitchen or bathroom. It removes reservations from the buyer’s mind rather than trying to impress them, and that is exactly the category of work that pays off in a sale.
In short
- Painting pays off when the walls are visibly marked.
- If they are largely unmarked, touching up is enough, provided the colour matches.
- Light, neutral tones deliver the most in photographs and at viewings.
- The trim does not need painting – usually only the wall is painted.
- The common areas are the responsibility of the húsfélag; get an agent’s advice on what to do there.
Frequently asked questions
Should I paint the whole flat or only some rooms? It depends on the condition. Paint the rooms where the walls are visibly marked and leave the rest, but make sure that adjoining rooms seen in the same line of sight match, or the difference will stand out.
Is it better to paint myself or hire a tradesman? If you have the time and do the job carefully, doing it yourself is the cheapest route and the result is satisfactory in most cases. Hire a tradesman when the job is large, the ceilings are high, or time is short and the property is due to be photographed soon.
Get in touch
It costs nothing to have someone assess whether painting is worth it in your case or whether touching up will do. Contact Baldur Jezorski, licensed real estate agent (löggiltur fasteignasali), on 450-0000 or send a message via 450.is for more information on what is worth painting before a sale, what can safely be skipped and what to do about the common areas. Free and without obligation.
Related articles
- Which renovations pay off most when selling?
- Which renovations are not worth it before selling?
- How do I prepare my apartment for sale?
Thinking of selling? Get a free valuation from Baldur Jezorski, licensed real estate agent in Hafnarfjörður, reply within 24 hours.
Algengar spurningar
Is it worth painting before selling?
Painting before a sale can pay off if the walls are visibly marked. If the walls are in good condition with only occasional damage, touching up those spots is usually enough. The trim does not need painting – usually only the wall is painted. Painting is one of the few jobs before a sale where the cost lies mainly in labour and time rather than materials.
Should I paint the whole flat or only some rooms?
It depends on the condition. Paint the rooms where the walls are visibly marked and leave the rest, but make sure adjoining rooms seen in the same line of sight match.
Is it better to paint myself or hire a tradesman?
Doing it yourself is the cheapest route and the result is satisfactory in most cases if the work is done carefully. A tradesman is called for when the job is large, the ceilings are high or time is short before the photography.