Peaking Interest with Exterior Color

Dressing the home to sell

"Color is the marketing tool of the 21st century," says color consultant James Martin. "There's not a product sold where it doesn't affect people's buying decisions." Martin is president of The Color People, a Denver color design firm for developers, builders and architects. He says that when it comes to home exteriors, most builders don't make color a priority — and it's costing them sales. "What gets people out of their cars is how good the house looks on the outside, and in today's market, with so many similar home designs, color is often the only way I can look different from you."

Fortunately, says Martin, color is one of the least expensive ways to add curb appeal and attract buyers. "You have to paint the house anyway."

The trends
The trick is getting the colors right. Martin says that during tough economic times, people are drawn to homes that imply stability — and the best way to create that sense is with rich, earthy tones.

"People are looking for shelter," says Martin. "Darker, richer colors can make a house look more comfortable and more solidly planted on the ground." Take roofs, for example: A dark roof adds weight and makes the house seem more solid. And as buyers grow more environmentally conscious, builders would be wise to choose exterior colors that connect with a house's natural surroundings. "Natural colors make people feel better, and they fit with nearly any type of shrubbery or flowers," says Martin.

In fact, darker colors mixed with earthy tones can add interest to even a simple tract house. Instead of painting the trim bright white — an almost unnatural color — use cream for a more comfortable feeling. And rather than using flat gray for the siding, use gray with a touch of green. It will seem gray on some days and take on a greenish hue on others, giving the home a sense of complexity and nuance.

Mix and match
Getting your home's exterior color palette right requires taking cues from prominent accent elements such as roof shingles, brick and stone. If you have a brown roof, you don't want gray siding — tans, greens, reds and yellows would work better.

Martin says that the easiest way to choose exterior colors is by thinking about clothes. "Think of the roof as the jacket. If you have a brown jacket, what color pants go with it? That's your siding. Doors, windows and trim are accents that can add colors the same way a tie or scarf does in a wardrobe."

Once you settle on a general color scheme, it's important to test it using large-scale mock-ups. "Color is the most relative thing on earth — its quantity, what's next to it, the lighting, etc." You can't tell from a paint chip what large painted areas will look like from a distance. Instead, he recommends test painting at least four or five square feet where all the colors come together, then standing back 200 to 300 feet.

Color schemes that really blend well together make a home seem well built. Just as well-picked slacks go with the right jacket, everything hangs together to impart a sense of class, and the payoff comes when buyers are drawn inside to see more.


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