We already knew Americans have an obsession with the color blue, but it turns out, it's a phenomenon that translates to real estate, too. Zillow's 2017 Paint Colors Analysis found that homes with blue bathrooms (often powder blue or periwinkle) sold for $5,400 more than expected. The bathroom color you'll want to avoid when selling your home? White. Houses with white, off-white, or eggshell white bathrooms sold for $4,035 less than similar homes.
In the study, Zillow analyzed photos of more than 32,000 homes sold in the U.S. to see how paint colors might have affected the price. Interestingly, bathroom color seemed to have the biggest impact of all the rooms in the house. Other top performers were bathrooms painted in comparatively cool neutrals, like light gray or oatmeal.
"Color can be a powerful tool for attracting buyers to a home, especially in listing photos and videos," Svenja Gudell, Zillow chief economist, says in the press release.
Blue works its magic in other rooms, too. Homes with soft blue kitchens sold for about $1,809 more—especially in Charlotte, NC—while yellow kitchens brought prices down by $820 on average. In the dining room, walls coated in slate blue, gray blue, or navy blue with white shiplap (yes please!) were worth $1,926 more, and red dining rooms took a $2,031 hit (yikes!). Blue bedrooms (light cerulean to cadet blue) added $1,856 to a home's worth; compare that to pink bedrooms, which saw a slight decrease in sales price ($208). Even painting the front door gray or blue bumped houses' price tags up $1,514.
Why? "Painting walls in fresh, natural-looking colors, particularly in shades of blue and pale gray not only make a home feel larger, but also are neutral enough to help future buyers envision themselves living in the space," Gudell says. "Incorporating light blue in kitchens and bathrooms may pay off especially well as the color complements white countertops and cabinets, a growing trend in both rooms."
The only room where it doesn't pay to go blue? The living room. Homes with blue living rooms suffered $820 on average, whereas brown living rooms (whether light beige, pale taupe, or oatmeal) sold for $1,809 more, proving our prediction that brown is making a major comeback to be true.
As for the best exterior paint color when selling a home? That would be greige, a mixture of gray and beige. Properties painted this shade added $1,526 to the selling price. But avoid brown on the outside: It brought homes down by $1,970.
Here are the full findings:
Kitchens
- Blue (light blue to soft gray-blue): +$1,809
- Yellow (straw yellow to marigold): -$820
Bathrooms
- Blue/purple (light powder blue to periwinkle): +$5,440
- White/no color (off-white or eggshell white): -$4,035
Bedrooms
- Blue (light cerulean to cadet blue): +1,856
- Pink (light pink, to antique rose; often found in kids rooms): -$208
Dining Rooms
- Blue (slate blue to pale gray blue; navy blue with white shiplap): +$1,926
- Red (brick red, terracotta, or copper red): -$2,031
Living Rooms
- Brown (light beige, pale taupe, oatmeal): +$1,809
- Blue (pastel gray, pale silver to light blue, periwinkle): -$820
Home Exterior
- Gray/Brown (greige—mix of gray and beige): +$1,526
- Brown (medium brown, taupe, or stucco): -$1,970
Front Door
- Gray/Blue (navy blue to dark gray or charcoal): +$1,514
Want to see how your home compares to others on the market? Consult Zillow's Owners Dashboard.
