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If you’re looking to put your house on the market, the front door is a prospective buyer's introduction to a house. Nancy Manby, a realtor with William Raveis in Norwalk, likens it to opening a package.
“It’s the first thing the buyer sees,” said Manby. “It sets the tone for what rest of house is going to be."
It's particularly important to take a careful look at your front door if it's not your usual entry/exit, urges Manby.
“A lot of homeowners don’t even use their front door for daily entrance and exit so they forget that the front door gets weathered from the elements.”
Kimberly Scappaticci, Design Director at North White Plains-based Wallauer’s agrees that a front door affects curb appeal.
“You’ll be surprised how different your house will look from your neighbor’s just by changing the door color.”
Stores like Wallauer’s offer so many door colors to choose from. And the color you choose, as both Manby and Scappaticci concur, is a very personal choice. You can find many web pages explaining what the color of your front door says about your home and personality with one quick internet search, nevertheless, Scappaticci has yet to find a customer asking for a specific color based on its meaning.
“They don’t ask about color meanings,” said Wallauer’s Design Director. “Color is very personal and can mean something different to different people depending on the experiences they’ve had with that color in their past.”
Manby and Scappaticci see red, black, and white as the most popular in Fairfield and Westchester counties. Although shades of blue from aqua to navy tend to be popular for houses on the coast, according to Scappaticci, and yellow is a color getting more use than you may think.
While Scappaticci has seen deep purple used to great effect on front doors, Manby has also found chartreuse hues on various homes in her role as realtor. But don’t go for a vivid shade if you plan to sell your home.
“While it may be fun and different,” said Manby, “pastel purple may not appeal to most buyers.”
The actual job itself is straightforward. Scappaticci advises sanding the door, priming and then painting one to two coats as needed depending on the color. And even if you’re not changing the color, a fresh coat of paint can do wonders.
Just don’t forge the hardware on the door, Manby cautioned.
“Hardware is more the forgotten element,” said Manby. “Polish up the hardware or replace it if you’re painting your door.”
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