How to renovate for profit by just picking the right paint colour

A recent US study highlighted the power of blue to tap into the psyche of buyers. Analysing more than 32,000 listing photos of homes that had sold across the US, it found blue was a colour that people gravitated to, which possibly explains why it seems to be the colour du jour.

In kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, dining rooms… blue reigns supreme when it came to attracting top dollar, so I’m feeling pretty chuffed about my choice of colour palette for a couple of recent renovation projects.

 

Twin shades

This was a whole-house renovation of a home in Sydney’s western suburbs. It was part of a low-budget cosmetic renovation designed to spruce up the property prior to the owners putting it on the market. The total renovation spend, inside and out, was a meagre $15,000, so a fresh new paint scheme was pivotal to the makeover.

I chose a mix of Taubmans Blue Willow and darker Juniper Berry for the interior. After’s a week’s work, the house was revalued at $25,000 more than when we started! A testament to the power of blue?

Kitchen essentials

This is the kitchen of one of my rental properties in Sydney’s west. The kitchen was treated to a facelift on a wincy $2,000 budget, which included a $700 appliance package and Senso vinyl flooring – most of the work (except the electricals, of course) done with the help of my sister, Jeneane. However, the real change in personality came from the powder blue colour I chose to gloss over the kitchen cabinets. It’s like a breath of sea air.

— Cherie Barber is the director of Renovating for Profit, a company that teaches everyday people how to buy and renovate properties for a profit. You can pre-order her new book here.