You hear the term neutral pallet, but what does it actually mean? It means a colour scheme that pleases and it should complement your furnishings, make no bold statements and give a feeling of space and comfort.

The idea of placing your house on the market to sell is to obtain the best price possible in the shortest marketing time. To obtain this, you need to attract as many potential buyers as possible.

We all have colour preferences, but what colour you like may really upset a buyer.  Colour is such a strong statement and it can work beautifully in showcasing a home, but it has to be the right colour, so the right tones and shades need to be applied.

If you want to introduce colour, try neutral earthy tones like taupes, greys and creams."

If a potential buyer is faced with a strong colour (maybe a colour they dislike) that dominates a room and they generally cannot see past this – they will not emotionally connect with the room and start to feel negative vibes and therefore find fault.

If you want to introduce colour instead of a basic pallet of whites, then choose colours that have neutral earthy tones. This generally includes the hues of taupes/greys/creams.

Most furnishings blend beautifully with these colours and you can create pops of colour with accessories. These hues can enhance or work with just about every colour for contrasting. If your property connects with a certain location then you can experiment with different colours.  For example, you may be located close to a beach or be in a beach suburb, then colours such as blues/greens/yellows in soft tones will highlight your location.

You need to accessorise and choose your furnishing to reflect these hues. For example, you should have light or white furnishings to give you that cool beach feel.

If you are using darker colours, then they would be better suited for Victorian or Edwardian homes that have high ceilings, picture rails and are styled in these eras.

Most buyers nowadays, even if purchasing the older-style homes, want a more modern fresh feel and will steer away from the overuse of dark colours.

Also, be careful in painting a children’s room in bright and bold colours or for some teenagers, dark oppressive colours.

If you wish to use a colour, tone it down. The potential buyer may have children at different ages and the colours may not suit.

If this means prior to selling, you need to consider painting some of your rooms, then I strongly recommend you do so. A little bit of cost and elbow grease may go a long way in attracting more buyers.