In article , Todd H. wrote:
(D. Gerasimatos) writes:

What does it matter what color it is?

When it comes time to resell your home, you better know for certain
that it does matter.

Perceptions of would be buyers are the reality of market time and
achieved sales price.


Yes, and a row of beige houses certainly gives a certain perception - not
necessarily a good one either.


Having beige houses doesn't make for good neighbors any more than
having purple ones does.

That's true, but that's not really the point. No potential buyer can
gauge "good neighbor." They can see a purple house and only assume
"that guy's a wack job. And in terms of resale, if I don't mind a
purple house, unfortuantely a lot of other potential buyers surely
would."


I see a purple house and go "Wow, that person must really like purple."
I wouldn't paint my house purple, but there are some purple houses in
my neighborhood. What's the big deal about it? In fact, even though I
think it isn't attractive my girlfriend just loves one of them. Different
strokes for different folks. It's just paint. If the house I want to buy
is purple then I'll paint it. If the house next door is purple then what
do I care? It's not my house.


Some people are overly involved in the business of others.

True. But that's a moot point for this discussion. It's not about
abridging someone else's business, it's about having some recourse
when a neighbor wants to do something really stupid to their property
that will affect the value of his neighbor's home in a very real and
quantifiable economic way.


I think the color of one's home has a negligible effect, if any, on the
property values in a given neighborhood. This is just an excuse people
trot out when they want to control what other people do with their
property.


Way back when (in a neighborhood without an HOA) my father set out to paint
his house in two colors. The top half of the house was one color and the
bottom half was another color. When he was halfway through (had painted
the one color) half the neighborhood had come over to say that he was
ridiculous and how hideous the house looked. Well, when he finally
finished a lot of people came over to compliment him on it and some people
even painted their houses in the same manner. The idea didn't fit in
with their narrow view of what 'looked right' but the final product looked
fine. Colors, whether exterior or interior colors like carpeting, are a fad.
Lime green was cool 50 years ago, then pink, brown, beige, white, whatever.
Are you going to repaint your house every time someone on the block thinks
the color is dated or 'ugly'? Paint your house the color you want it to
be and maybe you'll set a trend. Even if not, at least you'll be happy.
HOAs want everyone to live in a navajo white world.


Dimitri