a lot depends on what you are staging. What material/colors are the walls and floors? How much light is in the house? What style of house?

I think it means to go as neutral as possible. Light creams, whites, light grays.

Nothing that makes a bold statement.

You want buyers to be able to go through the rooms and be able to imagine themselves living there and not be focused the the bright blue accent wall.

The last house I sold I painted all but the master bath (it stayed white) in Behr Rafia Cream. All woodwork in white (and there was a lot of painted woodwork in that 1926 bungalow). The house sold first week. I had never had a beige wall in my life but admit it looked very fresh and neutral ;0)

Depending on the market for your range house, be careful changing out appliances unless they are something like 70's harvest gold. Is the kitchen fresh other than appliances, are they startlingly mismatched. The difference between a white or stainless refrigerator may not sell your house or sell at a price where you would recover the cost of the update.

You could always post pictures if you want specific advise.

I disagree with morz8 just a little bit about the appliances. I agree about the colors.

I have found that appliances can make the difference, especially in a kitchen that may need other work that won't be done and the appliances are mismatched. You can find SS appliance packages for very little today and from what I have seen (as a Realtor) you will recoup more than 100% on the lower end to mid range appliance packages. Plus the property sells faster. I'm not talking high end appliances though.

I vote, too, for pictures if one wants specific advice

It should work with materials already there(flooring, countertops, tiles, etc), style of the house (don't make Mediterranean cool gray, usually doesn't work..just as an example), what light a room gets, etc.

Sometimes freshening existing paint works better than changing it completely. If you change it-you need to consider all the factors as if you were painting for yourself. Neutral or not. Neutral takes same consideration if not more. People like different things, but one thing, they generally dislike: disharmony.

One more point: if you are willing to paint the interior - great. If not, staging helps. I had a listing that had a very old color scheme from the 1980's, not old paint, just the color. The seller couldn't repaint. But we brought in a staging co and the rooms looked so good that no one noticed the color was off/awful. Sold right away for a above market price. So if you don't have the funds to do both, paint and stage, consider just staging the property effectively.

PS Go with neutral colors if you can. But keep in mind the colors that are already in place. It is jarring to walk in to a home and see gray walls that conflict with the flooring and cabinetry. Gray is not appropriate everywhere. https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/color/g23711163/neutral-paint-colors/

https://www.thespruce.com/stage-your-home-with-color-798006

Denita, Can I ask if you think that matching appliances for a sale are worthwhile if they are white? I have a mismatch of black, bisque and white. The stove is white and was very recently replaced (bought new) so I was thinking of all white appliances, possibly second hand ones. It is an old historic home and I just don't think that stainless appliances would look right in it. But I wonder if anything but stainless is considered dated these days.

@condo home, yes matching white appliances work. Especially since you have just purchased a new white stove for your kitchen. there is no need to switch it to SS.

I recommend NOT investing any money into a house going on the market. Just present it as is, clean, uncluttered and void of any personal touches…like framed photos. Windows present better bare than draped with swags and odd window treatments.

Biggest bangs for little/no cost/. Wash the windows, and make the exterior entrance to the house neat and clean. For an Historic Home, abeautiful paint color on the front door is a draw…like Palladian Blue. Stay in the B.M. Historic colors for options. A huge peeve of mine, if you have a storm door, paint it the same color as the front door. Otherwise you are “framing the door” and making it look smaller.

I agree with Judy G about clean and uncluttered.

The reason to remove personal photos from the walls and surfaces is because the potential buyers will get distracted when walking through your home. They stop to examine photos (yes, they do). Some potential buyers are so distracted that they don't pay any attention to the property at all. There is nothing wrong with art and a little personality. But personal family photos should be put away before your home goes on the market.

Love the front door advice Judy G gave. A little bit of landscaping, flowers in a pot or a green plant at the front and a clean and welcoming entry go a long way to impress buyers.

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