You'll Lose $18K in Home Value by Painting Walls This Color — Choose This Instead
When it’s time to sell, the colors you paint your walls can directly affect your offer price, according to Elizabeth M. Callaghan, owner and broker of Elizabeth Margaret Realty. Callaghan explained that buyers seeking turnkey properties view repainting as an unwanted project.
“Although paint is cheap, the point is they have to come in and paint, and sometimes, when [a seller] picks the wrong colors, some people can't see past them,” she explained. “However, when they see a house painted in the right colors, they are more inclined to make a better offer.”
So before you head to the paint store, we’re bringing you research and an expert take on paint colors and why they matter. Zillow's 2026 Paint Color Analysis Report revealed which shades homebuyers want, room by room, based on a survey of 4,400 recent and prospective homebuyers nationwide.
Along with that, there is also one paint color that can lose sellers $18,000 in home value.
The Shift in Buyer Paint Color Preferences
Choosing an all-white neutral was a safe bet for sellers in 2020, however, today homebuyers desire warmer, grounded earth tones with soul over white walls.
Some buyers have described all-white rooms as “generic, cold and looking like a rental at showings,” said Hanna Jackson, Coldwell Banker real estate agent. Others say all-white walls can feel like a showroom rather than a sanctuary to call home.
Here are the best paint colors to use and where to apply them.
The Kitchen: Consider Charcoal Gray
A bolder color choice can work in a seller’s favor in the kitchen. One popular paint choice is charcoal gray, specifically Peppercorn from Sherwin-Williams, which Zillow said can boost offers up to $1,373 when applied to the kitchen walls or cabinets. This shade offers a bold, modern look and is a favorite among homebuyers.
The Bedroom: Opt for Chocolate Brown
According to Zillow, buyers may offer $2,277 more for bedrooms painted chocolate brown than for those painted white.
Kathrin Lee, co-founder of architecture studio LEE² DESIGN, who is certified in the science of design with a focus on neuroaesthetics, explained the emotional connection with the paint color.
“Chocolate brown is very sensual. Historically, as humans, we would go to a dark protective cave to sleep and if we have a bedroom in bright white that doesn't exactly feel like a cave, right? But a dark sensual brown gives that emotional security of being sheltered and protected — it helps to shift our nervous system from the busy hustle of the day to calm, intimacy and rest for the night,” Lee said.
According to Lee, chocolate brown hues are warm, nature-inspired and connect us to the natural environment.
“Browns resemble wood bark and soil and all these things that we were born into as humans developed long before we created our urban worlds,” she added.
The Living Room: Choose a Light and Airy Cool Blue Hue
The living room is the space to decompress after a long day, whether you’re curling up with a book, streaming videos or just relaxing. The report said pale blues, such as Tradewind from Sherwin-Williams, can bring in offers up to $1,723 higher than white living rooms.
Pale blues evoke a soft, calming and cozy feeling like an ocean or a blue sky — and that move can make a big impression on buyers.
Sage Green Is the New Neutral
Popular in bathrooms and other rooms of the home is the color sage green. Livable Green from Sherwin-Williams, a soft sage hue, could potentially increase offers by $1,035, according to the study.
Callaghan said her last two buyers bought houses with bathrooms that just happened to have sage-green vanities as a pop of color and one buyer decided to paint all their cabinets in the shade.
“My other couple liked it, too, which made me realize sage green must be the new neutral [in my market.]”
Beyond bathrooms, this light, calming green hue reflecting the outdoors has appeared in every room of the house — from kitchens and living rooms to bedrooms. While it doesn’t provide the highest offer price compared to other paint colors in the study, it may be the shade drawing buyers in.
The $18K Paint Color Mistake
The poorest-performing paint color in the study was ochre yellow, a brownish golden hue. When painted in the living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom, it can decrease a home’s offer price by an estimated $18,164 and when used in a kitchen, this muddy gold paint hue can lower the sale price by $6,630.
Other colors that didn’t perform well include fire-hydrant red in bathrooms, which could lower a sale price by $8,000 and pale pink, which could cost sellers $4,200 in kitchens and $6,000 in bathrooms.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.