Paint Colors That Increase The Value Of Your Home

If you're planning to put your house on the market in the near future, you may be wondering what you can do to increase its value and get the greatest return on your investment. Luckily, there are a few ways you can boost the worth of your house in a short amount of time. For example, First State Community Bank points out that simply replacing some of your fixtures and appliances with higher-end models can bump up the value of your home. Making your house more energy efficient is another way to add value without needing to invest significant amounts of money. All you need to do is make sure the light fixtures within the house are all fitted with LED bulbs and that less energy-efficient appliances are replaced with their updated counterparts.

Another important and often-overlooked way to increase your home's appeal to prospective home buyers is to give your house a paint makeover. A fresh coat of paint goes a long way in rejuvenating your home and making it more appealing. But did you know that certain paint colors add more value than others? These are the paint colors that can help sell your home for more money.

According to a Zillow paint color analysis, painting the exterior of your house a particular color can attract more buyers and incentivize them to spend more money. The winning color, known as "greige," is a mix of gray and beige, and it adds, on average, an additional $3,500 of value to the home. This color fits in with Zillow's Chief Economist Svenja Gudell's assertion that neutral colors give the appearance of a larger home and/or space while also keeping things looking fresh. 

Not only did the analysis find that greige is the ideal color for the exterior of a home, but it also found that specific paint colors, such as brown, can negatively impact a house's value. It seems that a house's exterior color can deter buyers just as it can attract them. You can also use color layering to your advantage when it comes to your house's exterior. Just be careful not to choose bright, flashy paint hues. Painting trims, shutters, and doors in darker yet neutral shades boost your house's value without becoming an eyesore. Pick dark navy or slate gray accents to contrast with the greige of the exterior and earn an even higher return on your investment.

The Zillow report not only pinpointed the ideal color for the exterior of your home, but it also found that painting your bathroom blue — specifically powder blue or light periwinkle — can add more than $5,000 of value to your home. According to Gudell, the color blue can "make a home feel larger" while presenting a neutral feel that helps "future buyers envision themselves living in the space." Additionally, a more neutral blue hue communicates to the buyer that the space hasn't been neglected. 

Managing Broker Chris Doucet also gave his opinion on why a coat of blue paint in the bathroom may be just what you need to sell your home for more, as per Seattle Magazine. "With the booming economy, people are riskier with colors, and it reflects a sense of optimism," he says. This makes sense given that blue is often seen as a feel-good color reminiscent of relaxing natural spaces, such as the sky and ocean. Taking a bath in a blue-painted bathroom seems like the perfect solution for a long, stressful day.

The neutral trend is huge, according to a paint color survey carried out by HomeLight. When it comes to the interior spaces of your home — including your hallways, living room, and dining room — you can never go wrong with a coat of gray paint to appeal to buyers' tastes. The color gray matches a variety of floor types and colors as well as decorating styles. It is also a neutral color that can be more or less saturated, depending on your unique space. The darkness of the shade you choose will depend primarily on the color of your floors. Real Estate Agent Pamella Knapp recommends selecting a paint color sufficiently lighter or darker than the color of the floor to give the room contrast and prevent it from appearing too cramped. 

The kitchen should match the color scheme of the rest of the house, with one exception: the cabinetry. The ideal color for cabinetry is white as it provides a fresh, open look that contrasts nicely with a neutral, gray shade for the walls. Knapp recommends using the kitchen to layer colors as many people expect to be wowed by this space more than any other. If you have an island, this is the perfect spot for a navy or light-blue shade to create depth within the kitchen's color scheme.