Modern and neutral paint is an important part of selling your home, especially if you want to sell it quickly. Neutral colors make the house look larger and they can also help a buyer feel at ease with their new purchase - a home that is freshly painted in easy-to-love colors means they can comfortably move in without having to worry about repainting. Buyers love a fresh, clean slate and a home that is move-in ready in the paint department.

If you're trying to sell your home, a fresh coat of paint is one of the easiest ways to give it a facelift and boost its appeal. A neutral color palette will make your place feel more spacious, cleaner, and friendlier - attributes that are sure to attract potential buyers.

To keep things simple, here is the easiest 5 step plan to creating the best modern neutral paint palette for your home.

The Basics

Stick to a a very simple color scheme
Choose colors from a very detached place
Keep it light & airy
Don’t forget proper prep & cleanup
Bare minimum holes afterwards

Stick to a very simple color scheme

When you're trying to sell your home, the last thing you want is for the buyer's attention to be drawn away from their dream kitchen or primary bathroom. Keeping your color scheme simple will ensure that a buy is able to focus on the features of the house and that your home's elements are unified and cohesive.

Choose one trim color throughout the house and use it on doors & windows, moldings, ceiling beams, light fixtures & fixtures in general (ceiling fans/lights).
Choose one wall color throughout the house and use it on all the walls. Use this palette wherever possible when painting accent walls/rooms with lighter shades as well.

2. Choose colors from a detached place

Marketing a property is not the same as decorating your home. Choose colors that are current and pair well with the permanent aspects of your home. Do not focus on choosing colors that you love or that fit your personal style. When preparing your home for sale, think about colors that have a broad, universal appeal – in other words: modern and neutral.

When it comes to the paint palette you choose for your home, there are two things to consider:

• The permanent elements of your home. These include flooring, tile, wood stain colors and cabinets. It can be tempting when trying to come up with paint plans for selling your house quickly to pick something unique and different from all of the other houses for sale in your area – but it’s better to go with a timeless plan and choose colors that work with the house itself.

• Current trends. What colors are popular right now? This is important because if you're selling your house soon, it's likely that potential buyers will be looking at many other homes in the same area. If yours doesn't match up with what's trending in newly built or renovated homes, it could make it more likely they will choose another that feels more updated. Alternatively, if yours is the only home with a fresh, modern, neutral paint job, it makes your home stand out above the rest.

Ultimately, you want to choose colors that compliment your homes features, creating a fresh & inviting property for a potential buyer. Remember, choosing this palette is about enhancing and marketing your property so be wise and choose from a detached place.

3. Keep it light and airy

Light colors have the added benefit of making small rooms appear larger than they are, making them ideal for spaces with low ceilings or oddly shaped walls.

The best way to ensure that your paint choice will work well in any space is by selecting 1 or 2 light, neutral shades that complement each other well.

Light colors can help create a beautiful sense of space because they reflect natural light more effectively than darker hues do; this means that the light from windows and skylights can bounce off walls in bright rooms without being absorbed, giving the rooms an open, airy feeling.

Light paint colors also make rooms feel cleaner than darker ones, which is so important to potential buyers.

Finally, adding brightness to your home by painting walls light, neutral colors creates an inviting atmosphere that makes visitors feel welcome.

4. Don’t skip the proper prep & finishing details

If you are painting yourself, this one’s for you.

It’s important to prep your walls before painting them so that the paint has a professional finish. This will ensure a smooth end result and save you time in the long run. Do not skip washing walls well, filling holes, sanding, and removing dust with a tack cloth.

Prep the trim properly. The trim around your door frames, windows and baseboards are often overlooked when it comes to prepping before painting, but they need just as much TLC as the walls themselves.

Once everything is painted with a fresh coat or two, be sure to clean up any drips or brush marks that might have gotten on the ceiling or floor. Nothing will ruin an otherwise nice paint job like messy edges, drips, or ripped paint from tape tearing. Take the extra time to make sure that your hard work isn’t wasted by finishing this final step.

5. Bare minimum holes in the wall afterward

Be very selective about the holes you put in the wall afterwards. New buyers really appreciate a freshly painted house with perfect walls.

There are only a few critical places I would consider putting art back up on the walls after painting. These are places that often need some softening to stage the home and make sure it looks loved and well-kept and not empty or cold.

The only places I would possibly hang art on fresh walls are:

• above a sofa on an otherwise empty wall
• above the primary bed with a low headboard (tall plants or leaning art / mirrors on nightstands is an alternative to this)
• in a dining room on an otherwise empty large wall
• above a mantle that can’t have leaning art / mirrors.
• if it’s a place that any other owner would clearly put art and it only requires a small hole: above the toilet or towel bar in a main bathroom.

As much as possible, use light art like canvases rather than heavy framed pieces with glass. I also recommend using small nails or thin hanging hooks (these are my favorites) to leave the smallest possible holes.

If needed, place some small adhesive felt pads on the back corners to prevent the art from scratching the paint.

I use alternatives to hanging art whenever possible:

• create height and alternative focal points in other ways
• get big & tall – vases with branches, large plants, etc
• lean large art or mirrors on tables
• bring in texture – woven baskets, blankets, pillows
• divert the eye to new focal points like a large plant or tall lamps
• give the space character and style in other places in each room

The neutral paint schemes below are 3 of my current favorite modern, neutral paint pairings. Each pair is a way to create a space that feels modern and fresh. They are natural, calming and timeless — all qualities you want when selling your home.

Click the download button at the bottom of the page to download the Staging Prep Kit and get all the paint color details & codes!