But, I like Purple Houses
I was surprised to see a “For Sale” sign sprout in one of my neighbor’s yards the other day. While out being walked by my dog, I saw my neighbor in the yard and asked him about his plans. After explaining where they 
were moving, and why, he mentioned that his Realtor has "made” him paint his purple trim on his house a more neutral color before putting his house on the market (a change I was, frankly, glad to see for the sake of the neighborhood). “I guess the next thing she’ll make me change is the lime green family room paint” he remarked. Personal style is, well, very personal!
A professional Realtor can be an invaluable asset in tactfully helping a home seller understand that there is a time for “personal style”, and a time for “neutral”. It is a hard concept for some sellers to grasp, but a home that is “staged” for you to personally live in can be very different from a house that should be staged to sell. The latter will appeal to the widest variety of buyers while maximizing the chances it will sell, quickly, and for the best possible price.
Fortunately in some communities, like Baxter Village, there is an established Architectural Review Board that can help protect the neighborhood streetscape from such “personal style” expressions as purple trim. But not all neighborhoods are so fortunate. So go ahead, if you want to make sure your home never sells, go wild with those paint color choices before you put it on the market. Just make sure they are colors you can live with, because you may be living with them for a long time!
Although the painter is still on the way to my neighbor's purple house, you don't have to wait until it is painted to see the change. Sherwin Williams offers a great online Color Visualizer. On this site, you can upload your house photos and try out different colors. Take a look at the improvement on the purple home.
Isn't this a great tool to visulize the difference before you take out the paint brush?
