Hello BiggerPockets community!

I recently received a quote to paint the entire interior of my recently purchased home. The home is 1500 sq ft, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and was built in 1979 with a wood frame. The quote was $5352.00 ($3,650 for labor and $1,702 for materials). The painter does exceptional work, but the price is a little higher than I expected.

My appraisal was only for the interior, but the painter said that we could discuss painting the exterior based on my budget. The painter mentioned that reattaching/replacing some panels and applying a new coat of paint on the exterior would prolong the life of the home.

I bought the home for 5% down and I am renovating the property with the intention of getting it reappraised to eliminate PMI. I am in the process of remodeling the kitchen and both bathrooms. I will live there for a year (It was an REO and I signed an addendum that I have to live there at least a year) while I complete the remodel and then rent the property out to establish cashflow.

I have a few questions I would like feedback on from the community.

• 1) How much does a well-done paint job add to the appraisal of a home vs doing it yourself with little to no experience?
• 2) How important is it to have a variety of colors throughout the home? Would it be insane to paint everything a neutral white?
• 3) Should I seek out other painters?

Separate considerations:

• a) My friend works for this painter and I have been trying to pay her on the side to do the work under the table.
• b) I am trying to get the kitchen painted by June 2nd because I am having the cabinets installed and the kitchen is already demoed.
• c) I currently have a contractor working on the bathroom and she agreed to paint the kitchen but she has been very slow.

Thank you for all the advice!