I am frequently asked off the cuff by homeowners, what color bathroom floor tile, carpet, or paint colors they should use if doing a project and going to sell?
The answer to what color floor tile, carpet, or paint colors you should use depends first on one important question…when do you intend to sell? If the answer is “oh probably in 15 or 20 years” then the answer is to use whatever colors your prefer. The reason for this is that you will probably need to update it again in 15 or 20 years when ready to sell since styles change over time.
For instance, remember the 1960’s bathroom tiles…they were little tiles that were green, baby blue, or pink. Then 8×8 tiles were in style. And then in 2000 12×12 beige tile. And now 12×24 gray marble tones are the thing. So really doing what makes you most happy in that case should be the goal.
If the answer to when will you be selling is “I am planning on selling sometime this year”, then I would say that it is important to see the whole scenario. Look at things such as the surrounding colors and finishes, the lighting in the room, size of room, etc, so that everything ties together well. I am even happy to stop by your home and give you advice on what works best given everything about your home! The goal is for the upgrade to improve your value and not detract from it.
A statement such as, “any new carpet or tile would be fine” isn’t right. Imagine you go the flooring store and they talk you into this great deal they have on an extra roll of carpet, or batch of tile, but it was what was in style in 1990. That isn’t going to help your value, and may in fact hurt it. So many times I will even offer to go to the flooring store for them and send them photos with pricing of what I suggest that works specifically for their home, in their budget, AND will enhance their value!
If you have questions about improvements you should or shouldn’t do, give me a call! I am happy to assist. And remember my team and I are on stand by 7 days a week, ready to help you take the smoother road to sold.