Painting an empty house between closing and moving day
If you have the keys and the movers are not coming for a week, that week is worth more than any other week you will own the house. With nothing in the rooms, we can spray ceilings and trim, roll walls and cut lines without working around a couch. A whole-house interior that takes a week and a half in an occupied home can often be done in days when it is empty. Common requests at move-in are covering the previous owner's colors with something neutral, painting the oak trim white before the furniture goes against it, and freshening ceilings that have not been touched in twenty years. We ask you to pick colors before closing so the paint is ordered on day one.
- Ceilings and trim sprayed, walls rolled, all rooms open at once
- Oak trim to white before furniture goes against it
- Colors chosen before closing so day one is a work day
Painting before a listing: neutral, fast, and honest about what to skip
Sellers are painting for a photograph and a walkthrough, not for the next decade, so the plan is different. We paint what the camera and the buyer see first: the entry, the main living area, the kitchen walls, the primary bedroom, and any room in a strong color that a buyer would mentally repaint. Ceilings with stains get sealed and painted because a stain reads as a leak. Rooms that are fine stay fine. We use a soft warm white or a light greige that photographs well, and we do not talk sellers into painting closets and utility rooms nobody will notice. Your agent usually has an opinion about color; we are happy to match it.
Working to a closing date
Move dates do not slide, so the schedule is built backward from yours. We confirm the scope with a walkthrough or photos, lock the start date, and order paint before we arrive. If the house is empty, we can run more than one room at a time and stage the second coats while first coats dry. The one thing that moves timing is the season. In a January house with the furnace running, walls recoat in a couple of hours. In humid July, a second coat may wait until morning. If a leak, a hidden wallpaper layer or bad drywall turns up, we tell you the same day and adjust the plan rather than paint over it and hand you a problem on move-in day.
When we would talk you out of it
- A move-out where the walls are fine and the lease only asks for cleaning. Save the money. A magic eraser and a labeled quart of the existing color will handle scuffs.
- A house that will be gutted or remodeled after move-in. Paint the rooms that will survive the remodel and leave the rest for after the drywall dust settles.
- A move-in with less than a day between keys and movers. We can still do a room or two, but a whole-house repaint around furniture is a different job with a different price.
What you get
- Empty rooms painted faster than any occupied job
- Schedule built backward from your closing or move date
- Neutral colors chosen to photograph well for a listing
- Ceilings, trim and walls done in one pass when the house is empty
- Stains sealed so nothing reads as a leak to a buyer
- Leftover paint labeled for the touch-ups moving day causes
How it goes
- 1
Scope from photos and the date
Send photos of the rooms and your closing or listing date. We tell you what fits the window and give you a written estimate by room so you can trim the list.
- 2
Colors locked before day one
For a move-in, pick colors before closing so we order paint in advance. For a listing, we suggest a warm white or light greige and match your agent's preference.
- 3
Whole house at once
With the rooms empty, ceilings and trim are sprayed and walls are rolled room to room while earlier coats dry. Nothing waits on furniture being moved.
- 4
Walkthrough before the movers
We walk the finished house with you under good light and touch up anything you point at. Extra paint is labeled by room and left in the utility room.
What does move-in or move-out painting cost?
Empty-house painting is priced the same way as any interior job, by rooms, surfaces and prep, and it usually comes out lower per room because nothing has to be moved or worked around. We quote from photos when the house is still occupied by the seller and from a walkthrough once you have keys. What moves the number is scope: walls only versus walls, ceilings and trim; a color change versus a same-color refresh; and how much repair the previous owner left behind. Tight timelines do not carry a surcharge, but a very short window can limit how much we can fit, and we will say so rather than rush the coats.
- Number of rooms and which surfaces (walls, ceilings, trim)
- Color change versus same-color refresh
- Repairs left behind: holes, nail pops, stains
- Oak trim conversion or other glossy surfaces to prime
- Days available between keys and movers
- Empty at the time of painting or partly furnished
Questions we get on the phoneStraight answers.
Should I paint before or after moving in?
Before, if you have any gap between closing and the movers. An empty house paints faster and cheaper, and you are not living in the dust. If you have no gap, paint the bedrooms first so you have a clean place to sleep, then the main floor once the boxes are out of the way.
How long does it take to paint an empty house?
Days rather than weeks for most homes. With every room open we run ceilings, trim and walls in parallel and stage second coats while first coats dry. A three-bedroom main floor can be a few days; a whole two-story with a color change and trim runs longer. The estimate gives you a day count against your date.
What color should I paint a house to sell it?
A soft warm white or a light greige. Both photograph well, both read as clean, and neither makes a buyer plan a repaint on the walkthrough. Skip the bold accent walls and the dark bedrooms. Your agent will have a preference, and we are happy to match whatever they suggest.
Do you paint the whole house or only certain rooms for a listing?
Usually the rooms a buyer sees first and any room in a strong color: entry, living areas, kitchen walls, primary bedroom, plus stained ceilings. Rooms that are already neutral and clean stay as they are. Painting closets and utility rooms rarely changes an offer, and we will say so.
Related
Where we do this work
Move-in / move-out across Independence, Medina, Corcoran, Orono, Wayzata, Plymouth, Maple Grove and Minnetonka, and the rest of the west metro and Central Minnesota. See the full service area.