It's your house and you'll live in it for as long as you live in it!

Is it important enough and worth it to have the interior as you prefer? If cash flow is an issue, you can always do one room at a time.

I think it would be worth it to me to have them painted it will give you more flexability to have them more neutral ( either white or black). Maybe try it yourself in one room and if it is too much then hire out the rest?

I would want white

I wouldn't want to live with the grey either!

Probably worth hiring a good painting pro to do this before you move into the house. They can spray the trim and doors to give you a nice smooth finish. Use good quality paint in a semi-gloss finish.

Paint them white.

I painted all trim and doors in our 3600sqft house. It takes time but I did a little every night and a couple of weekends and it was done. Quotes had come in at 6-10k so I figured I’d rather just spend the time and spend the money elsewhere.

White for the trim.

For the walls, consider BM Stone House -- a pale brown -- a tan but without any yellow or pink hue. It will have a much warmer vibe than white or blue without the prison gray vibe and still be neutral enough for any furnishings you like.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/212654413626242809/

Take one interior door off its hinges at a time and remove the door knobs and any locks as you paint each one so you can paint all the edges without painting the hardware. Consider stainless steel hinges and door knobs if they are to be replaced (especially for the bathroom and laundry where there will be moisture)..

If you are painting the exterior doors and/or storm door frames, Rust O'leum 2x spray dries quickly and you can apply a couple of coats in one long sunny day but you will need really good ventilation for spray paint.

As long as you are healthy, no vertigo or dizziness, you might want to pick up a sturdy ladder and try painting the house yourself, one room at a time. If you're painting the ceiling, you could use a roll brush on a long handle.

Make sure the walls and kitchen cabinets are really clean if/when you paint them so the paint can go on smoothly. Paint (other than ceiling paint) will NOT hide any imperfections so fix any wall damage issues before beginning painting that wall.

... and wear comfortable clothes you don't mind tossing, including a headscarf. If you're going to try to remove paint from anything you didn't intend for it to be on, do so while the paint is still wet.

Either pay a ton of money for a good professional job done all at once, or do one wall/door at a time over time. It IS doable - it will just take time.

Thanks everyone for the advice! I agree that white is the way to go. The home is a foreclosure that is missing all appliances currently and needs some work, so we already have a lot of up front costs. So far I only have one quote from a local painter for 10k so that’s definitely not in the budget at this point. We close on our home May 22 and have a month until our current lease is up so we do have a good amount of time to paint. Any recommendations on specific trim paint and/or supplies?

go to a real paint store and ask for assistance. our local Benjamin Moore store is insanely helpful.

even if you don't wind up buying the paint, they can at least help you with questions on brushes and stuff. then if you need to save some money, I really like Behr paint at home depot. It's thick and I've had good luck getting really great coverage in only two coats.

Choose gloss or semi-gloss. you will want to be able to scrub that trim in the future.

Trim and trim color is definitely a big deal! It might not seem like it, but your trim can really set the tone (no pun intended) for an entire room. In fact, an entire room makeover could be done by simply switching various colors and even by just switching the trim!

In fact, I just went over how options like dark trim can be perfect for a complete master bedroom makeover on my blog.

So my answer is: choose a trim that you love! It's your house after all. If you aren' loving grey, adjusting this color to something lighter or even just a different neutral color can completely change your feel of the space!

Agree with the above.

However, before you do any cosmetic work, check out all of the systems of the house (roof, hvac, plumbing, electrical). Take the inspection report you had done before you close and repair (after closing) the items that need repair before you do cosmetic changes.

Yes, painting sets the tone. However, the last thing you want to do is paint and then have some issue pop up that you don't have the money to fix. Foreclosures are a lot like peeling an onion when it comes to repairs. The more you uncover, the more there is to fix. Banks are notorious for covering up items. I'm a Realtor and I've seen them paint over wood rot in baseboards as one example. Banks can get away with a lot that the average seller can't so be ruthless in your examination of the systems and important repair items before you spend any money at all on cosmetics. And, banks that sell REO properties don't have to disclose anything. Just be aware.

^^ good advice.^^ the trim can wait.

Yes definitely planning to make repairs prior to painting. We have had HVAC and inspection done which found only a few minor things which we will have repaired. The house is only 3 years old, so overall in very good condition still. Thanks for the advice!