jmc

The number of people painting the house and the amount of time it takes are inversely proportional. This means that if we let $n$ be the number of people, and $t$ be the time taken, the product $nt$ is a constant. Since 4 people can paint the house in 6 hours, $nt=(4)(6)=24$. Therefore, if three people were painting the same house, $nt=3t=24$, and $t=\boxed{8}$.