Adding a fresh coat of paint to your home, both inside and out, can really make a difference when you sell your home in Albuquerque. Fresh, natural colors can really bring out the character of a Southwestern home. But to be honest, painting a home can be costly, especially if you need expert help. Professional painters charge around $4,000 for labor and materials to paint the exterior of a 2,500-square-foot, two-story home and roughly $5,500 for the interior. Painters’ rates may range from $20 to $60 an hour.
So how can you cut back on these costs and get the same great results?
1. Get competing bids
Make sure you get multiple estimates when hiring a painter. Try to get recommendations from friends and family. You can also search at Painting and Decorating Contractors of America for member painters near you who are licensed, where required, and insured.
Ask the painter for details, such as how long the job will take, products they use, how many coats they will apply, and the cost for additional coats.
2. Use a contract
Contracts are important, as they keep costs from spiraling out of control. A simpler contract may work better for you that includes simple explanations of what's going to be done.
3. Do all or some of the work yourself
DIY is always the best way to save money, provided you know what you're doing. Paint will be your biggest expense. You will also need to buy or rent supplies and equipment, like caulk, primer, brushes, rollers, tarps and ladders or scaffolding.
If you do still hire a painter, ask if you can reduce the cost of labor by doing some tasks yourself. For example:
- Trimming shrubs
- Moving furniture and clearing a perimeter for painters to work
- Removing and reinstalling the outlet covers, switch plates and doorknobs
- Prep work like patching, sanding and scraping, if you have the skills
4. Don’t wait too long to repaint
Don't wait until your paint flakes or chips off. It takes longer to prep the surface before paining can begin if it's peeling or chipping. It can make a huge difference in labor costs if you paint the exterior more frequently.
5. Trim the scope of the job
Before signing the contract, look through it for ways to trim aspects of the job that aren’t important to you. For example, you might forgo repainting ceilings or closet interiors, to save on paint and labor.
6. Think strategically about color
By recoating your existing colors instead of changing colors, you may get away with one coat of paint rather than two, if the surface is in good condition.
Also, avoid very deep colors, or use them on trim or accents. Bright reds and yellows may require four or five coats to cover well, so if you must use them, choose premium paints to get the job done with fewer coats. Darker colors look great on exteriors but they fade sooner than lighter colors, so you’ll have to repaint more often.
Looking to sell your home for the right price in Albuquerque? Let us help you sell your home in Albuquerque and get the right price. And make sure to join us twice a week on our blog for more great reasons to buy a home in Albuquerque and the surrounding area. Follow us on Facebook for the latest Albuquerque real estate updates.
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