Hell is an Endless Taupe

In the world of real estate, everyone has an opinion about colors.

We've all walked into a house and been able to identify the time period it was last updated based on the bathroom tile, the living room walls and the kitchen counters. Unless you're looking at a historic remodel meant to evoke the original architecture, if the colors aren’t current, they’re outdated.

I'm Not Staying Neutral

Many people advise that colors for a property for sale or rental should be as neutral as possible. I think that is terrible idea. Using bold or bright colors can highlight the best features of a property. More than once, I’ve visited a property under construction and seen where six or nine dull shades of beige or grey samples have been painted on a wall. What a wasted opportunity. Recently, I saw an article with a title along the lines of, “Choose the Correct Shade of White for Your Rental.” That sounds like a parody headline.

Then There's The Other Side...

I had one rental property with some brightly colored walls that I thought really showed off the house. I made the mistake of touching up and reusing the same paint color for about ten years. As I showed the house to some college students, one girl provided the unsolicited feedback, “These look like colors my mom would pick.” Her tone left no doubt that it wasn’t a compliment.

So, I've made an effort to tone down my color choice a bit, updating things while trying to be a bit more timeless. But I can’t say I’ll ever want to try and market a rental property with antiseptic white walls, beige floors and white trim. Hell isn’t a fiery red, it is an endless taupe.