Unsellable Houses' Leslie Davis Says This Exterior Upgrade Is Worth The Cost

Leslie Davis from HGTV's "Unsellable Houses" shares a crucial tip for sellers: Invest in a fresh paint job for your home's exterior. "Painting the exterior of a home is not cheap, but having the exterior stand out, especially in this market, is absolutely going to attract those buyers," Davis said (via Realtor.com). After all, what's more off-putting than a house exterior with outdated or poor-quality paint?

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Depending on the size of your home, you'll likely have to pay between approximately $5,400 and $11,200 for the new paint job. Of course, that is a lot of money to drop, and you should only spend those thousands of dollars if you can realistically afford it. But as Davis noted, the upgrade will help your home appear significantly more attractive, so you'll likely earn the money back when you sell. Thus, if you're going to splurge on anything for your home's exterior, the paint upgrade should be a priority.

Leslie Davis says interior paint jobs are worth it, too

Not only does Leslie Davis recommend a fresh exterior paint job to improve your home, but she also suggests investing in that upgrade for your home's interior. "Even a little paint goes a long way! You can totally transform the look of a room or a piece of furniture with a fresh new coat or color change. Painting walls inside your home truly makes such a huge difference to a space," Davis and her sister slash "Unsellable Houses" co-star Lyndsay Lamb told Austin Monthly. And don't be afraid to make a statement, as using bold colors in your home can pay off when done well.

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Depending on how detailed you want the paint job to be and how much you want to include, expect to pay between $2.75 and $4.70 for each square foot painting your home. Interior painting costs can add up — especially in spacious rooms — but are typically just as worth it as exterior paint jobs. Also, think carefully about whether you want to paint your walls yourself or hire an expert.

She definitely recommends painting doors

Even if you don't want to commit to a full exterior paint job or painting the walls inside your home, Leslie Davis suggests painting doors for a chic and noticeable upgrade. "There's very rarely a house that we walk in and there's not paint that we suggest. If it's a fresh coat of paint on the front door, even if it's white ... touching up the paint on the pantry ... paint goes so far and makes it feel fresh and makes it smell fresh," Davis told Showbiz Cheat Sheet.

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So, take Davis' advice as your sign to freshen up your home's doors with new paint. A fresh paint job for your house's front door may cost anywhere from approximately $140 to $260. While that's not necessarily cheap, it can help improve your home's exterior for significantly less than painting the whole outside. Moreover, expect to pay between $70 and $200 for painting a door in your home, such as a pantry door. As long as you update at least a bit of your home's paint, you'll likely increase the resale value.

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