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General Landlording & Rental Properties

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Adam Craig
  • Investor
  • Cleveland, OH
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What color should I paint exterior?

Adam Craig
  • Investor
  • Cleveland, OH
Posted Sep 14 2014, 15:51

Just closed on this 3 Bedroom 2Bath house that is getting rehabbed to be a rental property.

Any color ideas for front of house? I will be removing that tree to open up the front and will be removing the awnings. 

Color ideas appreciated!

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Colleen F.
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  • Investor
  • Narragansett, RI
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Colleen F.
Pro Member
  • Investor
  • Narragansett, RI
Replied Sep 14 2014, 18:36

Looks like your neighbors are brick too so you need a little pop. Almost every house of this style I  have seen is white.  You have a grey roof and white  windows so I would suggest you could do a yellow/cream with black shutters if you are going to keep them.  brighter then cream but not  too much. Then you can keep the trim white.   The front door can get some color too (brick red to blend or black.) My thought would be some greenery under the picture window.  Helps with screening the street view.

The other option might be historic green/gray color. I don't like it so much but some people do. 

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Beth L.
  • Investor
  • Hagerstown, MD
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Beth L.
  • Investor
  • Hagerstown, MD
Replied Sep 14 2014, 18:58

@Adam Craig IMO, if the siding is in good shape, just pressure wash and keep it white. Save the money. Paint or change the shutters. I would stay neutral by going with a traditional black. Don't paint the brick. Paint the door an interesting pop of color, but still something that would appeal to most people, maybe a shade of red, burgundy or eggplant.

I have a duplex with the same design, brick bottom and siding top with shutters. Very traditional. I plan on doing just this, since I really dislike blue and green on houses. It's used too much.

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Brian Murphy
  • Real Estate Broker
  • Syracuse, NY
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Brian Murphy
  • Real Estate Broker
  • Syracuse, NY
Replied Sep 14 2014, 19:23

Adam - I'd keep it simple. Wash the siding but keep it white. Paint the shutters a deep purple or eggplant color as Beth suggested. I like your idea of removing the tree in front of the door. I'd paint the storm and front door the same color as the shutters. This allows you to buy one color of paint. Keep some cash in your pocket and the house still looks good. 

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Jean Bolger
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  • Aurora, CO
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Jean Bolger
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  • Aurora, CO
Replied Sep 14 2014, 19:36

Why would you paint? If this is going to be a rental property you want to minimize your expenses going forward. Exterior painting has to be redone every ten years or so or it will look shabby. Why add that expense? Red brick is timeless. Just get rid of the dated awnings (as you planned), refresh the shutters- a very dark green perhaps?, and maybe add some shutters to the downstairs window as well 

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Tommy Tran
  • Ocean Springs, MS
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Tommy Tran
  • Ocean Springs, MS
Replied Sep 14 2014, 20:35

A light burgundy color to the shutters and awning would compliment the brick

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Adam Craig
  • Investor
  • Cleveland, OH
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Adam Craig
  • Investor
  • Cleveland, OH
Replied Sep 15 2014, 04:56

I am painting because the city is requiring me to scrape and paint along with many other POS violations. I understand keeping costs down is good but am okay with spending extra money to get things right from the start so an extra gallon of paint to make different door colors doesnt even cross my mind. Thanks for the tips!