We’ve all heard the cliché: “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.” But if you’ve ever had to sell your home before, you know that appearances matter. Typically, it will take an interested buyer 6 seconds to judge your home — and that opinion usually stems from the first few moments walking up to your front door. If you have weeds tearing up the yard while the front porch is cluttered with junk, obviously the buyer will have a negative impression (and from there, you’ll fight an uphill battle to persuade them to buy your house). That’s why it’s important to make the right first impression. You want to set people’s expectations in the right mood, so they are eager to make an offer.
Essentially, your front door is your book cover. The way your home-entrance complements the exterior and welcomes buyers will be key to getting your property sold. To do this, you won’t have to spend buckets of money and time re-decorating. All it takes is the right choice of color. Below, you can find quick, helpful tips on deciding the best door color to sell your house:
Beginner Tactic: Choose a Complementary Color to Your House
There’s a general rule many artists apply to their work: complement colors by light and dark shades. To help provide “dimension” artists generally add darker tones to areas that are heavy with lighter shades. This adds depth and appeals to the eye (i.e. generating positive reactions). The same applies to your home. If your home is painted with a lighter shade, like sky blue or a muted green, you should complement it with a deep-colored front door. It will balance out the colors and add a focal point for buyers. To learn about which colors are complementary to your house, check out this website.
Also, another helpful tip to picking the right contrast color to your front door is follow what’s popular. With a quick look around your neighborhood, you can see a common theme among the homes. You certainly don’t want your home to stand out as strange (or look weird) compared to the real estate in the area. Pick something that people are interested in, so you appeal their tastes.
Intermediate Tactic: Design It Around Your Front Yard
Like we mentioned before, your front door is just one piece of your front yard. Buyers take in the appearance of the whole home before entering, so you’ll need to make sure the front door fits into the bigger scheme (especially if you have a front porch). For example, if you have a flower bed of roses planted in the front yard, you might try to complement them with a red door.
Advanced Tactic: Make Sure It’s Feng Shui Approved
Feng Shui may have Chinese roots, but there are some great principles to use for your home’s benefit. In Feng Shui, the front door is considered the “mouth of nourishment.” It’s where chi (or energy) will enter your home and having the right setup will help create positive experiences. For a decorating mind, here’s how you can make your front door Feng Shui approved:
- Make sure the door is unobstructed. Clutter never creates a positive impression
- Repair any defects in the door, such as rotting paint or rusty doorknobs
- Experts suggest not having any mirrors facing the front door, as it detracts from energy flow
Selling Your Home in Montgomery County, MD
If you’d like more information on how to sell your home in the Maryland area, download our free eBook today:
