Last month, I shared some important tips about what to look for when buying an investment and what to be thinking about during the search process. Once you’ve found the right property that meets your goals and meets those criteria, the next thing to be thinking about is what improvements you can make to it that will increase its overall value without costing you too much money. First and foremost, you want the investment property to be the best color it possibly can be.

Finding the best color

Sometimes it’s just a matter of painting, but don’t kid yourself – if you aren’t using the very best color choice, painting can ruin you as easily as it can profit you. Take that seriously. Don’t just let someone pick a color. Use a palette to compare colors before you start so that you pick the best color of paint for your home. And if you make the mistake of picking the wrong color, don’t be so prideful that you keep on painting with that bucket of paint because “it’s paid for.” I’ve done this.

True story! It was years ago when I was much younger and inexperienced, but an art major! As a matter of fact, I was fresh out of college and had started teaching art at a local middle school. So that made me a professional, right? Wrong! My sister asked me to choose the color for their new West Knoxville house. I was so excited! Armed with many paint chips, I chose the most darling shade of blue. Now, in my defense I need to tell you she loved blue and requested blue. However, there is blue, and there is blue! In a few short weeks after the paint dried on this marvelous shade of blue for the exterior of her house, the whole neighborhood was devalued due to the over the top Easter egg blue color of my sister’s house. Oh my!  I learned a terrible lesson, and so did my sister! She has forgiven me, but the roughly 2-inch by 3-inch paint chip does crazy things when you blow it up to about 100 feet by 20 feet. At least, that was my excuse! By the way, her three young sons loved the blue house (which in hindsight should have been a hint that it was inappropriate).

So here is the trick to figuring out the best color for your new investment.

Get paint samples and get the color you want. Then get all the shades around the color you want – dark ones, light ones, muted ones. I repeat, muted ones – with grey and brown mixed in! Then, take them to houses and commercial buildings you like and match them. You are going to be shocked at how muted the shades you like are once they are on an exterior wall with the sunlight beaming down.

You can also use the paint brochures and the photos they provide to indicate the color used at the paint store. That can help you determine the best color to use. And if you aren’t sure, start by buying a small sample and try a small area. (You’ll thank me!)

Another excellent idea is to talk to your agent before you remodel. A good agent will know the best colors, materials, design, and décor to attract buyers. If you remodel it correctly, it could save you $20,000.

Also remember, something bought as an investment can be rented immediately (generally speaking). A property that was someone else’s mistake because it wasn’t reaching its potential for gross rental income numbers but is still showing rental history means it can continue to make at least that amount in the meantime.

Lastly, land is always king. If you have a choice between buying an investment property with land or one that is in a Planned Unit Development subdivision where the only land you actually have all to yourself is the part the structure sets on, go with land.