I Can Dye My Hair. Why Not My House?
What got me thinking about this topic was my young, millennial hairdresser. We were talking, and she said that her father gave her some advice about her future career. Since she had no immediate interest in college, he advised that she go to cosmetologist school. As he stated, “No matter how poor a woman is, she’ll always come up with the money to get her hair done!” I laughed but then realized how true that advice is. Women show up faithfully every few weeks wanting her to design their hair properly: colored, highlighted, cut, curled or straightened, adorned as desired. Why? It’s always about making a good impression and feeling happy.
Doesn’t the same thing apply to our homes, whether living in them, selling them, or investing in them? In this society, everything is about sales! We want our homes to make a good impression as well. Having my hair done = painting my home, except painting it myself actually costs less. Cutting or straightening my hair it is much the same as mowing the lawn, isn’t it? Adorning it is so much like all the other things I might do to make my home have good curb appeal, all which make me happy. Funny, it’s much the same business advice my hairdresser received from her father. She’ll make a good real estate student when ready!
It does remind me how little it actually costs to paint, if you are willing to do it yourself. I spend more to get my hair done than a can of paint and some brushes. Just be sure to get good primer and quality paint to DIY. Of course, if you want professionals, it will cost more but when I add up the cost of the hairdresser, manicures/pedicures that most women (some men) spend, painting still will be less over the year.
What colors can you paint? How much cooperation will you receive from neighbors? While driving around neighborhoods looking at some older homes for sale, I saw a street with one home a bright mustard color. Right next door was a home painted a quirky red. They stood out like condiments waiting to be placed upon a hot dog! More conservative neighbors couldn’t have been happy. In another much older neighborhood there was a purple home next to a house painted a Pepto-Bismol pink color. One home was for sale on the block and the owner wasn’t happy with either but was particularly upset with the pink house. Nothing could be done about it because the city has no code compliance rule on the color that houses are painted. Thus, it may slow the homeowner’s sale down. Needless to say, that’s an unhappy neighbor. He might consider settling for a quick-sale. The investor will probably bid on the offending neighbor’s place as well. The New York Times reports of an orange house making the entire neighborhood so upset that they are suing the owner. That’s a rather extreme option but some neighbors just don’t like the bold colors that stand out. If you’re one that can’t deal with that plethora of color, it’s probably best to live where there’s an HOA (one of the few things they are good for)!
It’s your house. Can’t you color it whatever you want? The answer is, perhaps. You’ll have to check your own area government codes. Most cities do have code compliance laws to be sure your home will not affect the mortgage value of your neighbors, but not all and not in all areas. If you are in a newer home and part of an HOA you would have signed that agreement when you bought your home.
If you’re trying to sell your home now and your neighbor has ugly property, it can cost you time and money. You can act in many ways, buy why not try the nice way first. Keeping a friendly neighbor is best, even when selling your home. Try speaking with him/her first in a pleasant manner about it. Perhaps the neighbor doesn’t realize his home is affecting your curb appeal. Offer to help out. Let him know there are places that can help low-income homeowners, veterans, seniors, and others who might have trouble maintaining their homes.
Here are some places to look for help:
• Rebuilding Together, a network of nonprofits whose volunteers make repairs for low-income homeowners.
• Habitat for Humanity’s A Brush with Kindness program connects volunteers with low-income families who need help with painting, landscaping, weatherization and minor repairs.
• Your state and local governments (call the housing department, or search online for “single-family rehabilitation” plus your city’s name).
• A local office of the federal government’s Department of Housing and Urban Development.
If you don’t get good reception from these ideas, you can check the rules. You might choose to bring your local code enforcement into play. If you must, go to Legal Mediation. Some non-profit organizations will offer this for free. Try the Association for Community Resolution (http://NAFCM.org). If that doesn’t work, or if your neighbor won’t agree, the more drastic and final step is to sue your neighbor in small claims court as the New York Times reported.