I receive a lot of interesting emails from readers all over the country. I do my best to answer questions. Many of those questions center on short sales, probably because I write a lot about short sales and enjoy a strong internet presence as a Sacramento short sale agent. But since selling short sales takes up only about half of my annual real estate sales, I also field questions on other activities such as selling homes in Land Park and throughout Sacramento that are not short sales.
A reader from my About.com homebuying site wrote yesterday. She was clear that she had written to me on January 2 and seemed a bit perplexed that I had not yet answered her inquiry, which I had not received. She had a "very important question." She and her husband had been engaged in "repeated discussions" regarding the color of the carpeting for their mother's home. They were preparing the home for sale and could not agree on which colors constitute neutral coloring. She did not understand the word "neutral."
At first blush, one might wonder how a person could be confused. But the more I thought about it, it's not so unusual for some individuals, especially those from other cultures, to be perplexed. Some of us live in a white-bread world. No color at all. But other cultures are awash in color and relish color. Color is treated as a daily substance. It's water for the thirsty, spiritual for the soul and serenity for sleep. Color brings the world alive.
However, when you are selling a home, neutral is the recommended choice of color, especially for carpeting. It evokes no emotion and does not detract from the home's features. It presents a clean slate, a home you can move in to immediately and decorate to your preference. It's a light beige, a sheer coffee-cream, sandy fair-skinned brown, boring pale tan, much like the photo above. Above all, it is not white.
The photo in this blog annoys me. Probably because it reminds me of my master suite when my husband and I bought our home in Land Park 7 years ago. The room is screaming for color accents. Can you hear the pain? It's not how I would stage a home for sale, but it does show the recommended color of carpeting. Since I am not selling, my master suite now has bamboo flooring, dual-pane windows with honeycomb blinds, and the walls are painted my favorite cat-puke-green color, with a slightly lighter shade on the ceiling. Not everybody's cup of tea, but it works for me.
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
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The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
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You squeezed in cream, beige, tan, and sandy into your descriptions. That's about as neutral as anyone would want. It's excellent advice for sellers, but as you described your own room I couldn't help but wonder what stronger responses your current room would evoke in potential buyers. You might get more "I hate it", but you might find a buyer in the "I love it!" contingent. I guess we have to play the averages and go neutral, but it can be frustrating.
Neutral always but especially now when most buyers tend to nitpick and are looking for a move-in ready homes....not all buyers but most.
I like the fact that you were sensitive to other cultures. In other cultures, the bright colors are considered typical and common--although I'm not sure whether they are considered as neutral.
Hi Elizabeth, Ooh yum, cat puke green :-) While I understand Neutral colors for selling, some homes are so neutral they appear boring to me. Neutral walls and carpet - OK - but get some others colors in there so as not to make me go to sleep! I agree with you, the room in the photo is screaming....
Ditto on the room photo. That doesn't look at all appealing to me. And if I were to be putting my house on the market I would really have to paint. The boys "man cave" room is red white and blue and my daughter's room has sunshine yellow walls and sky blue ceiling. Don't know that would appeal to the masses. But a few years ago I ran across a green that I just fell in love with that feels neutral to me that I used in my office. It's a duron paint named herbivore that's sort of a mossy green. It's very calming and goes with a lot. I'm wondering if you'd consider it neutral as it's earthy?
I would really like to see what "cat-puke-green" looks like...our house has a vivid range of colors but that's not my doing. I'm the kind of guy who would pretty much be happy in a cave as long as it's dry, so I leave the interior decoration decisions to my partner (smart man, eh?)
Elizabeth: My home is way too neutral. We haven't done a thing with it since moving in. The carpets we chose are neutral, and the walls are builder white (a nice way of saying eggshell or off white). I begged my husband to paint just one room in the house for my Christmas gift. Since it involved work for him (no self respecting do-it-yourself-er would hire that job out), all the rooms remain the color of boredom. I'm hoping he goes out of town to see his Mom soon so I can do it myself.
That is a really interesting point about how the concept of neutral is not the same for everyone. When we suggest to replace the carpet to clients that are getting ready to go on the market, we say replace what's there with "Realtor Beige"
Its boring, but as you say everyone can look past a neutral color.
Elizabeth,
It is all about common sense. If you do not plan to sell, do what you like. If you plan to sell, do what the buyers may like.
Melissa: I live in a melting pot in Sacramento and feel so lucky. Plus, traveling to other countries brings me closer to other cultures. You should see the homes in Mexico, Ireland (who'da thunk?) and Viet Nam. Color everywhere. And it's beautiful!
Gordon: You could have cat-puke green in your home and not even know it. But yes, you are a smart man.
Tammy: Naw, I don't think mossy green is neutral. But your home sounds totally cool!
Chris Ann: When do you think I generally do my home improvement projects, heh, heh. When my husband is out of town. Surprise, honey, what do you think? Grumble, grumble.
Elizabeth: Great post. I would love to see 'cat-puke green'! lol. I agree with you, if you want to sell, choose neural color. I think you can use some color for accents like pillows etc to give a bit of 'spice' but in general, I think neural color is so much more preferable when buyers walk into a property.
Hi Yuno: Cat-puke green is sort of a yellowish green. It can be bright or muted, depending on the amount of gray. I'd show you an example but RGB isn't the best format, and everybody's monitors are configured differently.
As a home stager, I can make just about any color on the walls work with the exception of bright neons and too dark colors/dated dulls like mauves. The key is really how CLEAN the area looks, and what you are putting into the room. Fresh paint and bright woodwork adds the punch. Minimal staging that works with the wall color is key. Artwork breaks up the color, as do draperies. These two elements are the most missed, in my opinion. As for floors, well, no matter what color they are (neutral preferred) above all the have to be CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN.