Why do people never paint inside their new-builds?

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No-Jellyfish-177@reddit

Neutral houses probably easier to sell than one with orange walls and SpongeBob carpet

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My last house had brightly coloured rooms with funky wallpaper all over, and we had offers within 3 days of listing. The property features, location, and price point make all the difference. People aren't going to pass on a house because it has an eclectic colour palette if everything else about it suits them.

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No-Jellyfish-177@reddit

So all the other factors managed to cancel out your interior design choices? Nice one.

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_Denizen_@reddit

🤣 I set myself up for that one

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Dr_Gillian_McQueef@reddit

Some people CAN see past things to envisage their own furniture etc in a house and other people simply can't. Like, their imagination doesn't let them.

Ever see on DIY pages on Facebook when someone says "thinking of getting this wallpaper can I see it in a room?" and one of the pictures is literally it in a room setting. They literally can't imagine it in THEIR room.

I reckon you got a) lucky or b) it wasn't as in your face funky as you think.

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Dull_Hawk9416@reddit

Tell me more about this SpongeBob carpet and where to buy it?!?

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Syystole@reddit

I also want to see this spongebob carpet. Very interested. Serious buyer

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evilamnesiac@reddit

Best I can find is this awesome rug

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LoreOfBore@reddit

ARR YOU READY KIDS!?!

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VolcanicBear@reddit

Why don't people understand the concept of different tastes?

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LaminatedLambchops@reddit

I thought they said they conform and are not different?

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Dry_Action1734@reddit

I live in a new build. 5 years in and a neighbour can’t sell, even though plenty of others have. Maybe it’s the market right now, maybe it’s how shit their own “creativity” is…

Glittery mirrors and clocks. Grey painted walls. Astro turf front and back. Tacky shit all over.

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GrabbedByTheGhost@reddit

People who buy new builds just love that sterile, lifeless aesthetic.

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Expensive_Peace8153@reddit

Because white emulsion is the easiest colour to paint over without extra work.

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cmpthepirate@reddit

It takes fucking ages and costs a lot of money. Also requires a lot of shuffling around. In short, its a pain in the ass

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DECKTHEBALLZ@reddit

Snagging.. we were told not to touch is for 12 months.

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Wil_Cwac_Cwac@reddit

You're advised not to paint for the first year in a brand new build, as they claim the walls might still need to release moisture. After a year most people have put furniture etc in their rooms and got used to the clinical white aesthetic, painting the walls then seems like quite an effort.

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Jervis_Mantlepiece@reddit

How do the builders/ developers paint the walls in the first place then, they're not waiting a year.

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Wil_Cwac_Cwac@reddit

They claim it's a special paint that can go on new plaster and most importantly doesn't contain latex (like a lot of 'normal' paints do) so it allows moisture to escape.

We were advised to use chalk based paint if we REALLY wanted to paint before the one year mark, but it would be at our own risk as cracks might still appear during that period

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SadSeiko@reddit

yeah this happened to us, we didn't realise the previous owner didn't paint and now we're sitting with unpainted walls thinking why didn't we do this before we moved in

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supersonic-bionic@reddit

Exactly. Developer told me to wait approx 1yr before painting the walls but i know some owners have decided to paint them already.

Also most of us just dont mind the white colour at this stage, when you have spent so muxh time on furniture and other stuff u just get used to the white colour

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Beartato4772@reddit

Yeah the problem with the 1 year thing is that's exactly enough time to get to the point it's an utter bastard to move everything to paint! :D

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tiptoe_only@reddit

That makes a lot of sense, but also if it's new then it's freshly decorated when you move in, so why spend money redecorating it again when it's still looking good? No weird dodgy colours from previous occupants to get rid of, no rooms that are looking a bit tired

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Puzzled-Barnacle-200@reddit

Also, I bought a non-newbuild where almost every wall was painted white. They had colour paint in most rooms underneath. Lots of people paint the house to sell, freshen up. White allows the house to be a blank-slate, look bigger and brighter, less faff around skirting and ceiling, and you can buy it in huge tuns to save money.

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EpicEpicnessTheEpic@reddit

Plus it's worth waiting for the building to properly settle before decorating as you're likely to see a few small cracks in the walls here and there.

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indignancy@reddit

This is exactly what happened to me - had lots of exciting ideas when I moved in, a year later couldn’t be arsed.

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fergie_89@reddit

Don't ever look in my home office then. The explosion of chaotic colours might blind you.

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Wil_Cwac_Cwac@reddit

Happens to the best of us mate!

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Kaiisim@reddit

Also fashion is now to have a basic colour and decorate using items to give colour and personality. So white walls with framed stuff is popular

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Generallyapathetic92@reddit

It was the first two years for me. Lived there 3 now and haven’t yet got around to it for the reasons you’ve said.

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DanielReddit26@reddit

I like white.

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Either_Custard_7438@reddit

Two reasons. 1. Makes them look bigger. 2. Allows the new owners to easily change colour etc without a bazillion coats over funky colours

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DanielReddit26@reddit

New owners keeping things white to appease potential further new new owners, and the cycle goes on and on.

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pixpix89@reddit

My sisters just bought a house that was a new build. Previous owners had been in 3 years.

It was stark white inside. It felt clinical. She’s just painted a wall in each room with the boldest, brightest colours. It looks so much better.

My mum hates it.

Some people just like white I guess 🤷🏼‍♀️

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DoctorOctagonapus@reddit

That's just a feature wall. Very much a thing.

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superioso@reddit

stark white

So just white. If you spend some time abroad you'll realise that this is the default in many places and that the UK using magnolia as a "neutral" colour is the outlier and is a bit weird.

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ExoticMangoz@reddit

A white room can be made to feel cosy through: warmer lighting; colourful furniture; wall art; plant life; rugs and interesting flooring; visually interesting light features. It’s most important to have a coherent design. If it looks intentional it will feel good. A room that just has a couple of family photos on the walls and a grey sofa with some colourful pillows will not.

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topheavyhookjaws@reddit

Can add colours without painting walls. Lot easier usually

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Salty-Staff-612@reddit

Because this ain’t the 70s anymore

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andrew0256@reddit

Colours are always a personal choice and believe it or not people are put off by the wrong colours. At least white is better than magnolia. On our estate the owner occupied houses were all painted white but the ones bought by the council were painted in magnolia.

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MobileOrdinary6827@reddit

We painted our walls of our last home the second we moved in. The estate agent we ended up selling with told us that they were bold colours. I can't wait to paint the walls of our new house when we get keys on Friday

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AirlineSevere7456@reddit

My house is magnolia throughout, I feel attacked :D

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front-wipers-unite@reddit

It's not magnolia it's "gardenia".

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Syystole@reddit

It's "Vanilla"

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front-wipers-unite@reddit

I like that.

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scotty3785@reddit

If you paint skirting boards or architrave a "bold colour", there is a special place in hell just for you.

Signed everyone who has ever had to paint over your horrible colour choice.

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front-wipers-unite@reddit

Wait until you have to paint a room which has been glossed from floor to ceiling.

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Latte-Addict@reddit

My last rented property had that embossed wallpaper through that hallway, the wallpaper had been torn off in places and the previous tennant had glossed over it all in brilliant white. Lovely :(

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front-wipers-unite@reddit

I've worked on a few properties now which had cinema rooms. And because matt black, and matt navy/midnight blue marks really easily and can't be spotted in there's a trend to use gloss and the painters have to sand and prime every surface.

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draenog_@reddit

I suspect in about five years' time (or less), a lot of people are going to be cursing the "colour drenching" trend and anyone who had anything to do with spreading it, as they're up a ladder in their new home trying to cover up the previous owners' navy blue ceilings.

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Postik123@reddit

This is one of the reasons I prefer white, cream or magnolia. It's easier to re-paint the same colour in the future.

Most people are not fussy about shaky cut in lines, patchy marks or nasty thick coats of paint. All things that a lot of people seem to get when painting "feature walls" in dark, bold colours

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New_Line4049@reddit

A few things. I think firstly, its ad advised not to paint right away while the walls release any last moisture from plaster etc, also I think painting fresh walls seems like a waste, it makes more sense to my mind to wait a few years until the walls are starting to show some marks etc then paint. Of course, in a few years when you have all your furniture layed out its a much bigger hassle to paint, so probably a lot just dont bother. Also, I think theres some thoughts to resale price. Loud colours arent great for saleability because theyre very polarising, people either love or hate the colour youve chosen, which means you effectively put off a chunk of your potential buyers (those that hate it). A neutral colour, like that thats in a new build from day 1, isnt so polarising. Most people find it dull, but dont actively hate it, and equally no one really loves it, everyone is just indifferent. This means you dont put off a chunk of potential buyers. Also worth noting the loud colours are often a lot harder to paint over later if you change your mind or a subsequent owner wants to change it.

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Jamie_Tomo@reddit

Bold colours are harder to paint over with neutral colours.

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Tigersmouth21@reddit

I think the idea is that people have different tastes, so they provide a blank canvas. Bold colours can be a pain to cover and wallpaper will cost to remove if you want to change it.

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arabidopsis@reddit

Or they do and put up ghastly wallpaper

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TwoValuable@reddit

You get told to wait a year on new builds because of the bricks and plaster drying. You then fill your home with stuff and suddenly decorating doesn't seem like an easy task. Not to mention if you've not decorated before you need to buy all the bits or fork out for a decorator. Suddenly you're moving so painting the rooms aren't important and the "blank canvas" look is a bit of a selling point for buyers.

White/magnolia/grey is also the cheapest paint per litre. A 10L tub in B&Q is less than £20, whilst a good home colour paint from B&Q 2.5L is about £12.

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PuzzleheadedFold503@reddit

"resale value"

A reason I hate my father.

House was a show-home. Never looked homely, or lived in, just manicured "perfection".

"Don't put a picture up, holes in the wall will cost us when we sell"

Same reason people buy black BMWs, grey Audi, and white Mercedes.

"I want to impress the person after me"

rather than

"I want to enjoy it while it is mine"

wankers, all of them.

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Albert_Herring@reddit

Some people own their home, others own a property.

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PuzzleheadedFold503@reddit

"I don't give a fuck what you want to do to make your existence better, I'm trying to impress people 10 years in the future that we have never met, and until then, will act like any decision you make is a direct attack on my fragile financial plan, and defend it like you just cost me 20 grand by blu-tacking a poster on a wall"

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JoeDaStudd@reddit

Because white/neutral colours let people envision what they would do with the property while at the same time meaning they don't need to rush decorating. It also makes the room brighter and feel bigger\ Painting rooms in a neutral colour is one of the first things I'd do if I was looking to sell as it's a cheap, easy job which increases the sellability.

For example if it's a room painted purple you might have 2 in 5 people like it but the other 3 will be factoring in having to repaint the room.

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PigletAlert@reddit

You have to leave the plaster unpainted for 6 months and un wallpapered for 12 months to allow it to dry out and for settling. I think after that most people are moved in and can’t be bothered to move their furniture out the way to paint

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Calm-Homework3161@reddit

You don't paint until the original white starts to look grubby.

Depending on your definition of grubby....

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-oioimate@reddit

I like white walls, or off white anyway, you can control the colour palette of a room with lighting, which is inexpensive these days.

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zinbwoy@reddit

Still better than the silver/grey shit the Turkish-teeth people have

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ChelseaRoar@reddit

I repainted one room that I didn't particularly like, kepy the rest. Because it looks completely fine, and when I get home from work there are about 5000 things higher up on my to-do list than aestheticism.

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SudoWithCheese@reddit

Bought my new build in '17, the builder painted everywhere magnolia.

You can be damn sure we've painted every room.

Unfortunately we're millenials, so there's a lot of green.

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PetersMapProject@reddit

As a fellow millennial, for me magnolia is the colour of renting and will never be found in my home nowadays.

I, too, included some green.

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SoggyWotsits@reddit

The advice is to paint everything a neutral colour when you want to sell. It’s easier to cover, and people have wildly different tastes. Just because one person likes orange and purple, another might like blue and green.

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Experiment328095@reddit

You’re not supposed to decorate for the first year or so, and it’s easier to sell if it’s still a blank beige canvas

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kitknit81@reddit

Some people buy a new build with the intent to only stay a couple of years to gain equity then upgrade to a bigger one. Makes sense for them not to decorate too much when it’s not a forever home since buyers seem to prefer neutral colours when looking for a place.

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aarontbarratt@reddit

Firstly, Most 2/3 bed new builds are bought by first time buyers, so money is tight, most people have enough for their deposit and legal fees and not much else. This is everything I owned the day I moved in to my first house (I also had a mattress but no bedframe):

I also couldn't afford to carpet the entire house at once, so I had to do it room by room lol. There are simply more pressing home purchases to make over painting the walls

Secondly, as the weather and seasons change the house will shrink and expand as it settles, causing a lot of the paint around the windows and doors to crack. Most people recommend against painting for the first year because you'll end up having to fill the cracks and paint again anyway

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jizzyjugsjohnson@reddit

Griege and beige. That’s the current look. It’s laughably awful

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mentaldrummer66@reddit

I can’t be arsed and have no idea what colours I would use as I am artistically blind

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Rekyht@reddit

Some people like neutral and prefer to add colour via furnishings. It's easier.

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Vitalgori@reddit

Because people are barely scraping together a deposit for a new build and they don't want to spend the extra 5k so that they can live somewhere else while decorating their new home.

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Purp1eMagpie@reddit

What? You can absolutely paint walls whilst living in a house...if you need to renovate a new build, there are bigger issues at play

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Vitalgori@reddit

If you have ever painted a house properly, you'd know how much dust and disruption is involved. It's a hassle to do it, and it's a pain to live in a house that is being repainted.

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Purp1eMagpie@reddit

You also don't need to do the entire house at once. Very aware having recently done the top floor of our house

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Vitalgori@reddit

You do realize that you are proving my point, right?

Doing the house room by room will take ages, will be disruptive the whole time, and all you end up with is differently coloured walls and trim.

Some people don't value the outcome highly enough to put themselves through it.

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Dull_Hawk9416@reddit

Mate, you clearly know nothing

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Gauntlets28@reddit

Maaate, if someone's quoting you 5k for painted walls, you need to tell them to jog on!

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ElegantOliver@reddit

Painting the walls is not 'a renovation' and I've genuinely never heard of anyone moving out of their home just to paint it.

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sspell@reddit

We have a new build and we painted almost every room a different shade of green. The living room is a dark olive green, the hall and our bedroom a pretty light yellow green. Our baby’s room has pink strawberry wallpaper. We have two all white rooms left and I HATE THEM. Need colour! My kitchen is still white and I want a wallpaper mural on one wall.

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sspell@reddit

My current view. I just really like green lol

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cuccir@reddit

I love it!

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sspell@reddit

Thank you! It’s a small semi and I don’t think we’ll be here forever especially if we have more children. But it’s starting to look really cool

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dbxp@reddit

I read an article on it at one point. Essentially white goes with everything so it avoids things clashing. It means you can buy furniture at different times from different shops and most things just work.

Personally my place had coloured walls when I moved in and I painted them white. I want the background wall to be very sparse and let the visual work be done by pictures hung on the wall. Since I was in shared houses for a long time I really like the uncluttered look, having the luxury of not having to have storage in the main living spaces. A lot of what other people may store in cupboards around the house I put in the loft.

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keeponyrmeanside@reddit

Right! I always take these threads way too personally, with my fully white walls, but I dare someone to visit my house and not think it’s colourful. We’ve got artwork, statement furniture, rugs & plants everywhere. I’ve actually got a bedroom wall full of patches of paint swatches at the moment because I really want to try a colour, but I just can’t find one that’ll make our artwork pop as well as white.

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Postik123@reddit

I live in a new build (well, 7 years old). The previous owners never painted and neither have I, yet. When I eventually do it'll be done in the same colour.

A friend of mine painted his whole house magnolia, and every year when he had enough of the scuffs and kid's finger marks everywhere, he whizzed around and painted over the worst walls with more magnolia. It's easy, no faffing around sourcing specific paint colours, and it's neutral so it doesn't really go out of fashion or become tiresome.

I prefer to add interest with artwork, canvases, etc.

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Baynonymous@reddit

For us (albeit not new build) we have white walls as it's then easier to buy artwork without worrying about whether it goes with the wall colour. The art adds the colour

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bsnimunf@reddit

Because it's just been painted. Some people would prefer to do fun stuff with their lives rather than painting and DIY. Also it's generally a good thing because so many people do an absolute awful job of decorating and painting so when I buy the house and have to paint and fix all the mistakes it's much harder for me.

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pheonix_balls@reddit

I painted my new build bold colours, with call outs and ceilings etc as well. Hand made glorious emerald tiles in the kitchen etc. Sold it in 2 days, I thought that was why.

I went round to the place a month after we moved to give them some things... and they'd painted the tiles white. Everything white.

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Psychological-Bag272@reddit

It's because they have been recommended not to pain in the first 12 months. New builds also have higher turnover of ownership so some new builds are getting sold after 2-3 years. There's also warranty that if you start making changes to walls and there's issue with it they could lose developer warranty in the first 2 years. So a lot of people just don't bother until a few years down the line. That's why all new builds look the same.

Also, white/neutral are trendy at the moment. I am not a fan personally.

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Mr_Inconsistent1@reddit

I did. And I don't even own mine. I waited 2 years for all the walls to settle etc but I can't stand that not quite magnolia color they use in new builds around here, it's horrible. My painter/decorate neighbour did it for cash and it looks so much better. I hated how it was before.

I think the answer to your question though is that it's a pain in the ass and/or expensive. Even having someone else do it for me meant 5 days of moving furniture around and general faff. People can't be bothered.

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Prestigious_Emu6039@reddit

People are kess creative generally now, they buy stuff not make it

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Euphoric-Orchid488@reddit

My house is 100 years old and I still painted a lot of it white. I don’t think it’s a lack of creativity, it makes the artwork and colourful furniture pop. I also like my lounger very calm and white walls with a nice wooden floor and other warm wood tones, it feels very peaceful.

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Skymningen@reddit

Quite a lot of houses are advertised on Rightmove using pictures from before people even moved in or early on after moving in. When we looked for a house I have been to so many that looked nothing like the pictures used.

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Boboshady@reddit

Neutral colours are exactly that - neutral. They give a blank canvas to potential buyers. As soon as you inject personality into things, you're immediately discounting anyone who doesn't like that personality, and the harder you lean in, the more you're narrowing your buyer pool.

You might think "but people can see you can just redecorate anyway if they don't like it" but no, that's not how it works :) Even those who realise that might just be put off by the effort of redecorating, but some will just be put off by the colours and never look any further into that property.

From a personal point of view, light, neutral colours are also easier to maintain and really help brighten up a room. I'm in the process of turning a white-walled room into a dark coloured one right now, and it's like someone bricked up the window in terms of how dark it is in that room now. Colours also show off the imperfections in the wall a lot more.

Finally, you can add personality to a room without decorating, in ways that are easier and more temporary - art and other wall hangings, rugs, the sofas etc. Keeps the room clean and bright without it feeling like an operating theatre.

So, maintenance, visual appeal, brightness, cost, simplicity, and for appealing to sellers specifically.

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evertonblue@reddit

I moved in to a very white new build, white kitchen white walls grey carpets and bathrooms.

We have put wallpaper up in various places, and the odd coloured wall.

What white does that nothing else does is provide brightness.

I didn’t get to pick the kitchen, as it was already being installed when we bought - but I’m glad as I would have picked something more colourful but I love how light and bright the kitchen is. It’s been a real trade off between getting more colour in and losing some of the brightness white provides.

I would also think if you have a new build that is perfectly smartly decorated, you could spend the money on other things or just save it for the future rather than going over something that still looks fine.

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amanset@reddit

Modern design. It may look boring as hell, but it is the modern way.

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avamissile@reddit

You should aww my new build! I turned it into a gothic manor with a black bedroom and dark green hallway lol.

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ElegantOliver@reddit

Because when you put every penny into buying that new build you probably don't have a lot of cash for decorating.

Plus if it's genuinely newly finished you can't paint for 6+ months anyway as the house will settle and cracks are normal. So you wait and fix those first.

Then you've settled in and don't want to move all the furniture again to decorate just yet.

Then you get used to it and maybe do a bit here and there but never anything bigger.

My home isn't a new build but I restored it from a 100 year old wreck during lockdown. Painted it all white. Five years later we have managed to properly decorate one bedroom, the whole stairway and hallways, and the living room. We'll get to more rooms over time!

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Joober81@reddit

They don’t want anything to detract from their “live laugh love” decals.

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CrustyHumdinger@reddit

Art and pictures are far more available now, and putting up a picture is easier than painting a wall

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tennisstar04@reddit

Had to wait for the house to settle, no need a decorator to come in and fill all the cracks and then paint. Requires planning, agreement with family on colours and furniture and any other decorations, and a whole lot of money. Good decorators are expensive. And then that’s not just for one room but an entire house with stairs hallways and landings.

It’s just a lot. I do t have a lot. And I can’t be bothered

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FlatsInDagenham@reddit

Because it's the last thing on their mind

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LondonWelsh@reddit

Read some of the housing subs, people are terrible at imagining what a house could look like. Their opinions on whether it is worth the cost are hugely influenced by how it currently looks like, even though all that furniture will be gone and repainting is quite easy. So your bold colours will put off a huge segment of the market who can't envisage what it would look like in any other design for them to live in.

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BellendBuilder@reddit

It’s recommended to not paint the house for upto 12 months so the house can settle and dry out to avoid cracking, along with moisture issues and paint peeling if repainted too early.

Then life gets in the way and people procrastinate too much

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Entire-Chicken-5812@reddit

Yes...I often find that bland Dentist aesthetic to be reflected in the people that live with that groove.

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Bskns@reddit

My parents bought a new build in 1998. 2 rooms have still never been fully decorated. Some people just cba.

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shaneo632@reddit

People who buy new builds generally don’t want to do things to it

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Sure-Recognition-262@reddit

Painting it while there could still be defects to find and settling to occur is a bad idea.

After that, painting is a PITA as you have furniture in, so you decide to put it off until it's needed rather than just something you fancy for a change.

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Interesting-Bit725@reddit

I like white walls, particularly in the UK where the light is so often dreary — they look bright and fresh and wall art pops against them. I love bright colour but I bring it in in other ways — furniture, soft furnishings, plants, art, etc.

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Otherwise-Eye-490@reddit

I was told not to paint my new build for AT LEAST a year, ideally 2. I’ve been in for 4 years this summer and only painted 1 room. I do want to do more, but it’s finding the time and effort. Also, maybe people buy new builds because they don’t have the capacity to do work on a house, and maybe that includes decorating.

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Original_Trick7742@reddit

Saw one on Homes Under the Hammer the other day where the property developer had actually had the place decorated with some colour and patterns, was like a breath of fresh air.

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dc73905@reddit

I bought a new home and honestly I haven't painted cos it's just a pain in the arse

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flohara@reddit

I think it's the swing of the pendulum with taste and fashion, same as always.

Currently we are on Sad Beige Clean Girl Minimalism. A lot of people are sick of it.

It will go the other way soon, when minimalism will be seen as depressing and everyone will want something more exciting.

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Joshouken@reddit

Because I live in a single-aspect flat (windows only down one side) so reflecting light is really important

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Kwayzar9111@reddit

you generally dont paint, a new build still needs a year or so to fully dry out and settle.

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CellistNarrow5069@reddit

You will get bored with any paint. No point painting. White is neutral and you don't see it

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Dr-Moth@reddit

I'll decorate a room that looks tatty. If it's still looking great, then I'll focus on the furnishings instead.

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worldworn@reddit

They do, but....

Taking a property back to neutral is a good way to not put off some buyers.
They tell you not to paint for a certain amount of time.
Some people like neutral colours.

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Greedy-Nature-826@reddit

I've got a new build and it's the builder white still as we've been here just over a year and everything has been drying / settling.

Some rooms will likely get painted with a colour but the white is nice and bright, and gives a sense of cleanliness which I find helps me feel happier in general.

Same as why I don't have trinkets etc like my parents did.

It seems to be Millennials (like me) that like this, as it's the opposite to what our parents had.

Gen Z seem to be going back to the clutter as I guess that's the opposite to what their parents had!

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clbbcrg@reddit

With a new build you’re not meant to paint them for a year or so to allow everything to dry out. Also cracks and nail pops appear in this time so painting would have to be redone anyway. They are white for illusion of space and brightness and a blank canvas. I think most people, myself included, like the completely white interior for the reasons above.

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damapplespider@reddit

If they were bought off plan to rent, they may not have been allowed to paint.

The other reason is that often people want to live there for a bit to see how the light changes in the room as you go through the year. And then they realise 5 years have gone by and there’s now so much stuff in the rooms that painting is a monster job.

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theModge@reddit

I just purchased a relatively new house (it's ten year warrenty is up in may) and it's clearly in the decor it came with. I've got a week at home off work whilst the kids are with the inlaws to paint it and improve it. As luck would have it I'm sick as a parrot, so it ain't getting done today eithier, but maybe I'll manage a few rooms before they return?

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romeo__golf@reddit

When you first move in you're told not to paint for up to a year to allow the building to dry out. Settlement cracks are also often repaired by the builder in that period, but will only be painted in white, so if you've decorated in another colour you'll need to re-do those areas if that happens.

After a year or two, even when you can paint, by then life is in the way. Decorating takes effort and many people just don't get around to it when the existing scheme is inoffensive in this way. Moving into someone else's space usually prompts you to want to cover their chosen design with your own tastes, but when it's plain white, unless you're particularly eager to get it done, it's just not a priority.

It can also feel overwhelming to face doing a whole house. I know when I had a new-build that we only decorated two rooms that first year of being outside of the "don't paint" period before we sold. We had plans for the others, but never got around to it.

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Think_Money_6919@reddit

If it’s a new-build no one has ever lived there?

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OddSign2828@reddit

New build just means recently constructed, not unoccupied. My flat was built in 2014 and I’d count it as a new build despite only having lived here 3 years

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Sea-Ganache-4330@reddit

Lots of people paint it neutral to sell too, so someone has a blank canvas to work on

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teniaret@reddit

How something looks on Rightmove just represents what they've made it look like in order to sell it, not what they'd choose themselves. It's standard advice to make the place look like a blank canvas so buyers can more easily visualise themselves and their things in it

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jc_uk_@reddit

I moved into a new build four years ago… I painted the living room two bold colours and the rest of the house is white 🤣

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CTLNBRN@reddit

Everyone I know who has bought a new build has been told they shouldn't paint for 6 months or so while the house settles incase there is any cracking in the plaster that needs to be fixed. I know from my experience buying my non-new build property the enthusiasm for renovating goes out the window after a little while. So my guess would be people wait, get used to it and then never get round to doing it?

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chease86@reddit

Its because I makes it easier to picture what itll look like in whatever colour the new owners decide to paint, not to mention having a neutral colour as a base makes the actual decorating itself easier.

Why bother spending money painting every room to look nice when you know the new owners are just going to paint/ wallpaper over it anyway?

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