As a general rule, if you're selling your Long Island home, getting your house in the best condition will help you sell it faster and for a higher value. But, of course, there can be a cost associated with this, so the answer is "it depends."
Here are some circumstances where it would generally be a big benefit to paint before you put your house on the market.
- If you have taste specific, "loud" or dark colors. Making the colors lighter and more neutral will appeal to more buyers and it will make your house look larger.
- If you have different colors in each room. Again, more consistency in color will make your space look larger.
- If your paint is peeling and/or you've had water damage. These are big red flags for people and may signal that there are many more issues in your home that they'll need to repair.
- If your exterior paint is peeling. Again, this is a signal that there is more repair needed on your home. And, for certain loans (e.g. FHA), the buyer will not be able to buy your home/get approved for their loan until the house is painted.
In general, lighter and more neutral colors work better a they appeal to more buyers. If you want to go super light/white, Sherwin Williams Alabaster white is a popular color (and looks much better than linen white...which is considered builder grade and looks rather dated and cheap). Often going with a little bit of light neutral color is a bit better as it will be a bit more inviting. Here in the NY metro area, cool colors are most popular. Usually a light gray is best choice (Sherwin Williams Silverpointe is an excellent choice). You also could do a light beige, but gray is preferred right now. If you want to do a color color, a nice choice would be a light blue, such as Sherwin Williams mild blue.
Generally, you will get your return on investment when you paint. If you can't afford a professional painter, then try to paint yourself.