Professional Painter or DIY? Selling Faster Answers from STL Realtor

Realtor Scott Helt with REMAX Suburban – Chesterfield, MO

Dramatically reducing the time it takes to sell your home is challenging. Regardless the preparation you make to get your home ‘buyer ready’, many times, the discussion of painting your home will either slow or excel the selling process.

Guest blogger, Scott Helt of Remax Suburban, shares his four answers to St. Louis home sellers age old question, “Should we hire a professional painter or do it ourselves?”

Scott writes:

“As we head into the home selling season we are asked numerous times by sellers for the most effective ways they should spruce up their homes to increase sell-ability. The number one recommendation we tell home sellers is (if they are serious and want to be competitive quickly) go ahead, hire a professional painter and have your home painted.

Scott’s Answers:

A Professional Painter Helps Homes Sell Faster.

ANSWER NUMBER ONE, or the main reason we recommend hiring a professional painter is TIME.  A majority of sellers do not have the personal time it takes to paint & neutralize a house in a timely fashion.

A professional painter has made their craft a time-sensitive art. From the acquisition of quality materials, starting early and finishing well, a professional painter dedicates their singular-focus to making your home look great while you concentrate on many other tasks.

See Michelle McMahan portfolio example re: TIME

ANSWER NUMBER TWO is patience. Home sellers do not have the required patience to paint and touch up their house effectively – while at the same time – trying to de-clutter and clean. As they prepare their home to list for sale the patience a professional painter can provide escapes them.

Think of when you’re in a rush. Kids need driving to events, you’re held late at work, you’ve got to plan packing, meetings, etc. Scott asks, “So you think you’re going to paint as well as a professional painter, room by room, while your life is in such a whirlwind?”

ANSWER NUMBER THREE is experience. Nothing looks worse than an attempt to patch and paint when a seller really hasn’t painted for many years. Painfully, many painting projects end up looking much worse than what they did before they were attempted.

He asks: “What’s your level of expertise?” If you’ve never painted a room in your home, better yet, painted the exterior, you’re going to find yourself seriously overwhelmed. It’s true, painting looks easy. Yet getting a sell-ability finished product is difficult for a amateur painter. A Professional painter knows the tricks of the trade. They never cut corners and are determined to achieving great-looking results. Please, if you don’t know what you’re doing, remember it’s easy to make a big mess and in a hurry.

ANSWER NUMBER FOUR by making a small investment patching & painting your house professionally makes a world of difference to a would be buyer – especially – a home painted in a neutral colors or just primed.

Specifically Scott shares: Bring your house together with same or similar colors. Accents to a few walls is alright. Remember, when buyers see glaring red, yellow and blue walls, they see a lot of work. Prospective buyers are in the process of MOVING. They’re overwhelmed with so many things other to do. Light colors are most appealing, but if you can – stay fairly neutral. Work with a Sherwin Williams or Porter Paints and a professional painter to find a combination of muted yellows, cream colors, lighter browns, and more to develop a much warmer, richer look. At all costs avoid stark white, gloss black, very dark and bold colors.

For more, find Scott:

Scott R. Helt
Realtor/Buyer Specialist
RE/MAX Suburban
Cell # (314) 598-8102
Search ALL active properties @
www.scott.freestlhomesearch.com