We’ve been told for years now by TV property pundits such as the ubiquitous Kirsty & Phil or the delectable Sarah Beeney that the best way to sell our home here in the UK is to de-clutter and give it a ‘neutral’ make over.

With regards to the last point they mean cover up the feature walls screaming funky fuchsia or Gothic black and get rid of the avocado green bathroom (the latter may have been derigeur in the 1970s but we are in 2015 now folks). What these experts don’t mean – thankfully – is that we have to paint every wall in our home white, cream or (cringe) beige.

What we should do though is consult a colour chart and get sussed about what Colours really do benefit particular rooms.

And, as luck would have it, here at My Online Estate Agent we’ve already done all the research for you. Just read on to stop your would-be buyers reaching for their sun glasses or heading back out the door. These tips really could help you clinch that all-important house sale:

Firstly, unless you’re selling a shabby chic-style cottage or furnished period home, then opting to paint your rooms with colours that are trending right now can be a big help. The secret is to do this using subtle and lighter Shades than the original. See what we mean with interior designer Kristie Barnett’s before and after images when painting a house to sell.

Sitting room paint shades

Blue for instance, is highly fashionable in terms of interior décor this year. So, certainly go for bold in the sitting room if you’re redecorating. But if you’re selling your home, say interior designers, then opt for gray blues, soft watery blues or even blues with a touch of silver (which is upmarket paint company Farrow and Ball’s big seller this year). That’s because these are extremely calming colours which induce a feeling of restfulness. And indeed studies have shown these kind of colours can even reduce blood pressure.

Image via corearchitect.co.uk

Bedroom boosting shades

Staying with that calming effect, there’s no place in the home that should be more like a sanctuary than your bedroom. Pale greens, acqu blue and soft, muted lavender are all excellent shades to dip your brush into here. Again they’re soothing colours to the extent they can induce thoughts of flowing water, grass, wild flowers and the beauty of nature in general.

Image via Pinterest

Give your kitchen a kick

Yellows and oranges have always been good kitchen colours. That’s because they’re bright and cheery (and let’s face it, who doesn’t need a little cheering up first thing?). Again, though, muted is the name of the game. Shades such as soft primrose and warm ochre are better than luminous colours and both can benefit in terms of looking slicker, when paired with grey.

Image via Houzz.co.uk

Bathroom Blues

Like the living room, soft blues, soothing aqua greens and even an icy blue shade all suit the bathroom (it’s that water theme all over again). This is definitely a room you want to chill in. If you’re looking for something to appeal a bit more to a female buyer then dusty pink would be an ideal shade.

Image via Shelterness.com

Exterior Education

Although we were initially going to talk about interior colours in this post, we couldn’t resist a mention of the outside of your home too (after all that’s the first colour your potential buyers will see). Again, we’d go for subtle. Meanwhile, here’s paint colours and styles to definitely avoid:

Image via Geoff Pugh/The Telegraph

Or Norwegian artist Jens Werner’s tribute to Burberry (yes, it’s real and cost thousands of pounds to paint):

Meanwhile, getting back to interior paint schemes to sell your house, even baroque and rococo style lover Lawrence Llewelyn Bowen is knuckling down to painting his rooms in muted shades (magnolia even!) after discovering he couldn’t sell his Cotswold cottage with his rooms painted in his trademark outrageous, bold colour shades.

So, does this post have you reaching for the nearest online paint brochure? We hope so. In the meantime, remember another reason to go for lighter – rather than darker/bolder shades – is that the former will make your rooms look larger because they’ll reflect more light. And bigger rooms tend to mean a bigger sales price…