@Lars, WRT low-flow plumbing fixtures and fittings, I thought I would get called out on that by the inspector when I sold my house last year, but I did not. I had not replaced anything to comply with the 2017 regulations. My personal opinion is that I wouldn’t replace any plumbing-related items unless requested by the purchaser. It’s easy enough to give a credit back through escrow if needed.

Re codes--- I believe this varies greatly by township , maybe county and maybe state. Where we moved FROM, they would not grant a certificate of occupancy if there were code violations. Now, as I recall, they did not inspect every property but they had the option to. All renovations needed permitting and inspections were done along the way.

Where we are now, we did get permits when we did our kitchen. We expected the township to come and see at least when electircal was done , before sheetrocking. They came once, when the job was complete and barely looked at anything. The inspector asked me about my countertops..........Needless to say, we have not gotten any permits for any other work we are doing here. This is another state, and some of this seems to be regional. Who knows.......but where we used to live, bringing up to code was the seller's responsibility.

I sure wouldn't want the maintenance of a white foundation.

The house I like the best of the ones in your neighborhood is the second from the bottom. I'm not a gray fan, but I like it with the wood and on the stucco. I think it'd look nice with your blue-green house and wood door and would work well with the driveway and walkway colors. I don't care for the tan foundation with those colors. I wouldn't go as dark gray as the neighborhood home because your blue-green is so dark.

One thing that is now required in Los Angeles is ultra-low flush toilets. I bought a new Toto toilet for the master bathroom in 2009, but I bought it in Santa Monica, and so I'm not sure if the flush is low enough for Los Angeles.

I'd be very surprised to hear they don't grandfather them?

Just looked up the CA law. I would add the link, but Houzz isn't accepting my posts if I include a link so here is a picture.

I love the teal and would paint the whole house teal. Everything one color will make it appear larger. The other thing I would do would be to really prune, mulch and spruce up your lovely yard and patio. People are focused on outdoor living space these days so a nice yard will be a huge selling feature for buyers. Make a seating arrangement on the patio and put some annuals with color in front (or in a planter by the door) to complement the teal. Curb appeal will be huge! Good luck and hope it goes well!

I like the teal and tan outside of the house. I don't think it would look good with white on the bottom portion.

Yes, @Jennifer Hogan, I did disclose that I had not installed any ultra low flow fixtures when I filled out the disclosure paperwork for sale, but again, neither the inspector nor the buyer ever brought up any concerns. I did not even know about the ultra low flow law until I read the disclosures. I cannot imagine how such a law could be enforced, except maybe in the permitting process for new construction, but not in existing houses. Permits are not required for one-for-one replacement remodels in my county.

It is the city of Los Angeles that requires ultra-low flow toilets, and as I understand it, it is illegal to sell a house unless that is what it has. I will talk to the real estate agent more about that. Since my toilet is from around 2012, it probably will not pass code, and the other toilet is even older.

I agree that white would be more maintenance than beige, but the new houses (2019 to 2024) in this neighborhood are white.

But it’s not a new house! We just had some threads on age appropriate dressing, so I wouldn’t want her to try to be something she’s not. Wish someone with photoshop skills would try white and full teal on your pics.

I can easily do that - I did it with the teal before we painted.

I think I will try to find another beige color for the bottom.

Here's how SW shows "Really Teal" (our current color) on an exterior

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/blue-paint-colors/SW6489-really-teal

I think Gossamer Veil SW 9165 might be good for the bottom half:

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/neutral-paint-colors/SW9165-gossamer-veil

I quite like Panda White:

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/white-paint-colors/sw6147-panda-white

I really like SW’s Kestrel White in the same color palette as Colleen’s Panda White. I used that in my office when I was working (we owned the building) and it looked great with a crisper white trim and good on its own or paired with a color.

I like your Gossamer Veil - I was thinking that a touch of grey-green would work nicely (no white!)

I also like another color on the same card - Mineral Deposit.

When you do your photoshop mockups, try out several of the colors on that card. And show us, Please!

We built a small vacation home on Cape Cod in 1991. All of the properties here have wells and private septic systems. When we moved here as our primary residence in 1999, we applied for a building permit to put on addition. Because of newer standards we had to install a "low-flow" toilet in our new master bedroom. We were often flushing twice to make things happen. After we got our inspection improved on the addition here and then closed on the sale of our primary home we switched the toilets between the houses and have lived happily ever after!!

The key to problem free flushing is a pressure-assist toilet.

Kswl - I'm now into high-rise toilets lol. But I remember the plumber who installed our code-specific commode in 1999 telling us "that thing could flush a meatloaf". So we paid him, but my DYI husband took the plumber's version of meatloaf in his pickup truck up to the house we were selling and switched it out to the one we only have to flush once. And when we have a hurricane warning with power outages, we fill our bathtub so we can have a flush toilet - our motto then is yellow is mellow...

Edited to add : I'm married to an engineer

The pressure assist toilets come in regular, comfort height and regulation handicapped height and are so…. shall we say efficient? At various times we’ve had all three.

I’d love a Toto and need to just stop thinking about it and find a model that uses pressure assistance!

I vote to paint the bottom of the exterior the same teal color. I'm not a fan of the color block look, and I think that the house will look larger and more up to date if it is all one color with crisp white trim.

I would paint the whole house teal, but I'm not sure how good that would look in the back.

I do like Eider White https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/white-paint-colors/sw7014-eider-white and Snowbound https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/white-paint-colors/sw7004-snowbound, but I think Mineral Deposit is too dark.

I’m not fond of grey, but of the two I prefer Snowbound.

Lars I think you can get too much of a good thing. It's fine as is--move on and focus on what 'has to' be done. It will sell quickly no doubt.

Lars, I am so glad you are working with a different agent! It definitely sounds like this one has a better grasp on what should done, and what is in YOUR best interest, not her own.

And I like your Gossamer Veil paint for the bottom half, it will complement the teal. A stark white would be, I don't know what word, too startling? Shocking? Off-putting, IMHO. The white you have on the trim is very attractive with the teal, but would be way 'too much' for the whole bottom half.

Rusty

I started a rough rendering to get some color on the bottom, and this is what I came up with to start. I did not want to spend a lot of time on the exact shape - I just wanted to see a different color on the bottom. This is supposed to be SW Snowbound. I think it looks better than what I have now and better than white, but this rendering is not completely accurate. I will probably have to buy some paint sample in order to make a decision.

Incidentally, the bush in front of the steps is no longer there.

Be careful, Snowbound can pull pink/purple. I love taupe, but most people avoid pink undertones.

It is also quite white for an exterior.

Do you know the original color that you had? I might go lighter than that, but not so white that it is blinding next to the teal. Let the teal be the show and the other color the supporting actress/actor.

Make sure to look at the samples at different times of the day and on all 4 sides of the house.

I picked a color for my garage door that looked perfect when I painted it in the morning (color match to my Pella Cranberry storm door. I went away for the day, came back when the sun was just starting to set and it was screaming purple. We doctored the formula and got one that didn't scream purple and stayed dark red all day long.

The Snowbound looks slightly peachy on my screen. I really like the teal, and I suggest you run with it. It would look just fine in back, too- better than white IMO. If you really feel you need a contrasting color with the teal, what about a dark forest green? I’m not loving the whites with the teal.

I'd go darker gray so the white trim pops. All of the dark teal houses online have bright white trim that is really prominent because they're mostly traditional homes with wide trim and porch columns and railing.

I am going to make my decision based on paint samples that I will paint on the house in order to see how the colors look in person. It really doesn't matter that much how they look on a computer screen.

I happen to like the whites with teal and will not be going darker than what is already on the house, but I haven't decided how much lighter I want to go.

Snowbound is quite a bit darker than what people are currently painting the exterior of their houses in my neighborhood, but I do have a concern that going too light could be blinding in the back yard.

I do not see pink in Snowbound, but I do see green in Eider White, which is why I have to see actual paint samples on the house. I do not want green, and I want a very light warm gray for the bottom color.

I'm assuming you agree that the exterior paint condition merits new paint. If not, the lighter color looks nice, but I don't think it will make one bit of difference in the sale of the house. If I were going to paint, I'd take the teal down below the windows and create a new line a cinder block or two below the windows. If trim was needed, I'd paint it to match the lower color, but keep your white windows. I know it is the age of the house, but that cropped top is the one thing that bothers me most about the curb appeal. I don't think I would do it just for sale if it fits the neighborhood, but I'd probably do it if I bought the house.

I've been away this past week and am glad to hear you found a realtor you are more comfortable with and that you have been convinced not to paint the cabinets. I tend to gravitate towards white kitchens, but I love maple and cherry and would not paint over either if in good or recoverable condition.

As for the first realtor -- I'm kind of thinking she wanted you to paint because it would go with her PB furniture (dark wood, perhaps?). Not your problem.....

The bottom half of the house has very textured stucco, whereas the upper portion is wood, and so there is a natural division there, like many houses in this neighborhood. The houses on both sides of us are white or off-white, top and bottom, but across the street they are different.

I'm going to take another look at the neighborhood and see what I think will look the best with what is already there.

There is one house on the street behind us that is very dark, top and bottom, which you can see in the photos I posted three days ago, and I don't think I want to do that myself. I just don't think that I want to put a very dark color on heavily textured stucco.

Anyway, we have a lot of time because we're going to do the landscaping first. However, I do want to book the painters pretty far ahead of time because their schedules get booked up.

I do prefer the white with the teal vs what's there now. Two colors vs the three but still I would imagine a home owner will have their idea of color and just paint over whatever you do. No one can guess what the next owner will prefer other than it won't be what the current owner chooses!!! This is such a waste of money, time and paint. Go with what you've got. You won't get your money out of it and it will be redone next year more than likely.

The point is that we have not painted the house in 15 years, except for the small part in the front that is teal, and all real estate agents have said that it has to be painted, even if we paint the same colors. Most houses in this neighborhood do not get repainted on the exterior after they have been sold, providing they have fresh paint on them.

I want to paint colors that will not require a coat of prime.

Do not paint as long as everthing is fresh, clean and no wall damage and woodwork is good. One instance when we were listing a plain ranch house for sale the realtor said paint it white. Wehad just painted a beautiful light sage green. We said no. As it turns out the buyers loved the sage green. Any house we’ve sold and also viewed to buy, the critical decision making element was clean and in good repair. I think the real estate rep is looking for a quick $ale. With current housing shortage, should not be a problem.

The problem is that the interior of the house is not fresh and clean - it has not been painted in the 15 years we have been here - except for the dining room area, which we will no be touching.

Right now, the kitchen is a very pale sage green, which I have always liked, but we might as well paint it white, since that might help sell. Before it was green, it was a pale orange that matched the orange in the tile floor, and I would not have liked that.

This shows the kitchen walls

Two photos combined. You can see the nice wood in the cabinets, which I do like.

Did you say you were going to landscape first and then paint the exterior? I would not trust work crews with new landscaping if it were me.

There is concrete all around the house except a small part of the front, and the front does not need landscaping - only a small amount of editing. The landscaping will not be anywhere that is very close to the house.

We mainly need new sod, in addition to a lot of pruning, and the real estate agent told us that we need to put the sod in as soon as possible in order for it to get established.

Is there a reason why the back of the house can't be painted the same teal color as the upper part of the front?

@terezosa / terriks

Lars has said:

"The bottom half of the house has very textured stucco", and

"I just don't think that I want to put a very dark color on heavily textured stucco."

How barren is the yard? If you have some grass you may want to reseed vs laying sod. Talk to your landscaper - Real Estate agents are not lawn experts.

The yard is not barren at all - it has become extremely overgrown with invasive weeds over the winter, when we had lots of rain and were at our other house for weeks at a time. The weeds have choked out what grass we did have, and they are going to be difficult to remove.

Here's a photo of the back of the house from 2015, nine years ago

This shows the copper/brown gutters we installed. This photo was taken late in the day, and the light makes the house look yellow even though it is beige, as in the photo above it. I'm not sure teal in the back would look appeal to buyers, most of whom would want white, from what I can tell, even though it would create quite a glare late in the day.

Here's a photo of our pergola from November 2016

We plan to leave the teak dining table and chairs for the buyers, if they want them. If not, we will take them, although we do not need them in Cathedral City, although there is an area outdoors that we do not use where we could put them. That area used to be a pet area for the previous owners and is quite barren and has a dirt surface that would need tiles.

Here's how the pergola looked in 2013, before we got the teak dining table and chairs

We have removed the bamboo shade because the creeping fig on the walls is now high enough to block afternoon sun.

We used to spend a lot of time in the pergola, to have lunch or dinner - we have plenty of outdoor lights for dining after dark, but lunch was my favorite time there - or late afternoon after work. I lived close enough to work (4 to 5 minute commute) that I could come home for lunch and sometimes bring coworkers with me.

Sooo, in case I missed another possible thread about your move Lars, how is everything going? House painted or not? Sold? Did you and Kevin make the move yet? We have had a very trying several months so I feel like I may have missed some goings on here. Hope everything is working out for you and Kevin.

Things are going slowly - we have moved a few things in our pickup, have gotten rid of a lot of plants (given free to neighbors), and have just had the landscaping finished for both front and back yards. That was expensive, but we needed new sod and tons of pruning and removal of unwanted plants.

We have picked colors for the exterior of the house - the teal will remain and the bottom part and back of the house will be a few shades lighter than it is now, but not white. We have bids for painting inside and out, and the total came to slightly over $6,000.

We are going to Cruel World at the Rose Bowl on May 11 and had always planned to wait until after that to move. I had sort of hoped to stay in L.A. long enough for the 2028 Olympics, which will be happening before Kevin retires, but he wants to try to work remotely from Palm Springs and is anxious to leave L.A. - I am not.

I just had my annual physical on Tuesday, and my doctor put me on new medication that he needs to check in a month, and so I have a follow-up visit May 16. I plan to start the major part of the move on May 20, and then the painters can come inside May 27 or 28, but they can start the exterior before then. Anyway, we will be out before Memorial Day. Our agent has said that we do not need to stage the house because it is not that large (1535 square feet), and we do not need that expense. The first agent (whom I fired) wanted us to spend thousands on staging, and she wanted the inside and outside of the house all white, but that won't be happening, unless we cannot sell the house with the teal on the front. A lot of people like the teal, and it is in keeping with the character of the neighborhood, where people have a lot of houses painted dark or deep colors.

Hope it goes well for you! I think painting and landscaping will put the house in the best light, but agree not to stage.

I hope it goes well. I thought this was all precipitated because Kevin lost his job? Did they change their minds about keeping him or is he at another company? Maybe I overlooked an update?

Kevin was working in the DVD/Bluray department at Sony, and sales for discs have dropped so much recently that they are laying off a large number of people. However, Disney is no longer producing its own discs and is having Sony manufacture them instead, as Disney does not want to be bothered with them.

There will still be people who want to buy discs - just not as many as there used to be. I prefer discs to streaming, and I find streaming unreliable, as titles come and go and are not always available. I have a ton of discs for movies that are not available to stream, and I have a Bluray drive on my laptop, in addition to the Bluray and HD players that we have.

Kevin has over 20 years of experience at Sony, and he thinks he will be able to get a new job that is 100% remote, but we will see. Palm Springs is a terrible place to look for work otherwise, since it has no industry other than tourism. Kevin's last day was April 5. We'll need to see a financial advisor before the house sells, or soon afterwards, so that we will know how to invest the money. I don't want to invest in real estate again - that did not work out for me.

Thanks for the update, Lars. I found it confusing because it sounded like he didn't leave his job. Hopefully, he'll find something he likes until retirement age.

Appreciate the update Lars. Our lake house goes in the market next week so I have some understanding of what you’re going through - no painting for us though. And I imagine you’ll be dealing with what we are in SC - finding a doctor, dentist, etc. I’ll be thinking of you and wish you and Kevin well with this transition.