by Lily S

Created on: July 15, 2010   Last Updated: July 16, 2010

Color Psychology is the science of how human behavior responds to the presence of color. It is widely used by the retail industry to influence what we buy.  This is why banks and financial institutions usually include the color blue somewhere in their color schemes, while supermarkets will use versions of red, yellow and orange. Online retailers also use the same technique - have you noticed how all the buy and order buttons on Amazon are either yellow or orange? That's because those are "call to action" colors.

Here's a list of colors and the moods they inspire:

Reds - this color makes you feel hungry and energetic. Laboratory tests shows that it increases the heartbeat and stimulates the pituitary gland. In the retail world, it is associated with impulse buying and is often used in logos and calls to action.

Orange and yellows - these colors make you feel cheerful and enthusiastic. They are also used in calls to action (most retailers prefer these colors to red, as they are friendlier).

Blue - this makes you feel safe and secure. Lighter blues make you feel peaceful, and darker blues give a sense of security. Retail tests show that budget shoppers prefer the lighter blues and traditionalists go for the darker hues.

Green - this color is the easiest to look at and signifies wealth, stability and prosperity. It's often used in the entertainment and leisure industries as it makes people feel content about spending money. It's no accident that the color of money is literally green!

So how do we apply this to selling a home? You obviously don't want to go to the huge expense of redecorating just to make a sale, so keep the decor neutral (cream or magnolia walls for instance), and then use accessories to provide the effect you want. However, if you have dark walls, I would definitely recommend repainting in cream - lighter colors make a home look airy and big, whereas dark colors close in. The bigger a house appears, the more money people will pay for it.

When people view houses with an intent to buy, they often imagine themselves living there. Green is associated with prosperity, which is why all the most prosperous looking houses have nice lawns. If you do have a front yard, take advantage of this and, make sure you have a lovely green lawn (water it regularly as soon as you put your home on the market so that it always looks lush). If the front of your house is paved, I would add some giant plant pots with a lot of green foliage and bright flowers. Red geraniums are best for this - the leaves are lush and the flowers bright. While roses are pretty, they don't have enough foliage to provide the effect we are going for.

It's well known that houses with yellow in them sell fastest, but yellow is also a hard color to live with - and we have to have a balance between selling the house quickly and wanting the buyer to imagine living there. The solution is to have flower arrangements in your house, and choose bright yellow and orange blooms to make it look cheerful. An arrangement with yellow flowers in the hallway and the living areas should convey an impression of friendliness and cheeriness.

Just a few touches of color here and there can make a massive difference to getting the right price when selling your home.

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