When selling a home, painting is an attractive and affordable home improvement project. While many homeowners focus on the value of painting their home before listing it for sale, they should be aware that specific colors may impact its resale value.
According to Zillow, the wrong choice of hue can turn off potential buyers, so it’s essential to pick your paint colors carefully.
In 2017, Zillow ran a paint color analysis that looked at 32,000 photos from homes sold around the country to see how different colors affected their sales price on average.
Light blue paint is the clear winner for bathrooms; Zillow says survey participants were willing to pay 1.6% more than expected — or $5,440 on a typical U.S. home.
Blue seems to be the big winner in the “jack of all trades” department. It’s an excellent hue for kitchens, dining areas, and bedrooms too. When it came to the bedroom, people were drawn to a dark blue; these spaces had an additional $1,491 sale premium. Kitchens and dining rooms in the steel slate blue range averaged between $1,809- $1,926 more per sale.
What’s not so appealing? Terra Cotta dining rooms — participants would pay, on average, $2,031 less for a home that included one.
Once again, blue was in the lead for door color, putting to rest the long-standing theory that red was the most inviting and welcoming color for a front door.
And while we’re on the subject of exteriors, brown, taupe (and stucco) could knock $1,970 off of your sale price.
Gone are the days of eggshell and Navajo white. As it turns out, homes with neutral color paint sold for an average of $4,035 less than homes with deliberate color schemes.
So what’s behind the increase in price and these compelling colors?
Cool neutrals, such as blue and gray walls, are broadly appealing and can signal the home is well-cared for or has other desirable features.
Now, when you’re ready to make a change, you’ll be armed with new knowledge when faced with a never-ending display of color swatch choices. Why not use these tips to make your home look more inviting in listing photos?
It could be just the thing to help a potential buyer picture your house as their home.