Managing Paint in Real Estate: Lessons from Experience

When you are in the real estate business, one material you will never skip is paint. Painting is like makeup on a person's face—it enhances the look and feel of a property. Over time, I have learned valuable lessons about managing paint efficiently, whether for long-term rentals, short-term rentals, or flipping projects.

Paint Walls

The Importance of Painting

Every time a tenant moves out, some level of repainting is usually necessary. Whether it’s a full repaint of the entire house or simple touch-ups on high-traffic areas, maintaining fresh paint is crucial. For short-term rentals, I have found that walls often need to be repainted every six months to a year due to minor dents, scratches, or stains. After a fresh coat of paint, a property looks new and well-maintained, making a significant difference in its appeal.

Managing Leftover Paint

In the past, I consistently used beige paint for all my rental properties since it is a neutral and widely accepted color. However, this became monotonous. As I expanded into short-term rentals, I began experimenting with different colors for different rooms. Living rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms each had their own distinct colors, and even separate floors featured different shades.

This shift led to an accumulation of leftover paint, which often became a waste of money and materials. Unused paint can go bad over time, making proper management essential.

Creative Ways to Utilize Leftover Paint

Recently, while remodeling a condo, my contractor creatively mixed several leftover paint cans within the same color family (grey-blue shades) to create new colors. This mixed paint was used for storage areas and closets, allowing us to efficiently use up all old supplies. This strategy helped reduce waste while maintaining a cohesive look.

Organizing Paint Colors and Codes

To keep track of paint colors and codes for my properties, I developed an easy and efficient system:

1. Documenting Colors: During any painting or repainting project, I take a picture of the paint can along with its color code.

2. Storing in the Cloud: I upload these pictures to my Google Drive, organizing them into property-specific folders under a subfolder labeled “Paint.”

3. Easy Access Anywhere: When purchasing paint or planning a repainting project, I can quickly retrieve the exact color code and reference images from my Google Drive without needing physical records.

Final Thoughts

Managing paint effectively can save time, money, and effort while ensuring properties always look fresh and inviting. Whether it’s selecting the right colors, reusing old paint creatively, or organizing color codes digitally, these strategies have significantly improved my workflow. I hope these insights help others in the real estate business streamline their painting projects and maintain beautiful properties effortlessly.