6 Worst Colors to Paint Your Home (and What to Choose Instead)

Many homeowners looking to sell are faced with the task of potentially painting the exterior. You’ll want to get back the investment of money when you close and help your home show well. To help you appeal to a mass of tastes, here are the six worst colors to paint your home, and what to choose instead.

Designers, magazines, and painters are reporting vibrant colors like plum, burgundy, and turquoise are hot sellers, but buyers are much more conservative. Zillow researched 32,000 images of recently sold houses for color trends and their relationship to sales prices. While white was on the list, it was outranked by several other colors. Here are the six colors to avoid.

Don’t forget to enjoy these fantastic colors for 15% off now through June 1st! 

Exteriors

Don’t: Brown
Costs you: $1,970
Some homeowners see brown as a bolder step up from beige. Not true reports Zillow. The color costs you money because potential buyers saw it as boring and bland. Also avoid taupe, tan, and beige.

Do: Greige
Nets you: $1,526
As a close option to brown, try greige. It’s the modern update to beige and white. Painting your exterior this color can bring in an additional $1,500 plus more offers.

Bonus: Greige exteriors are perfect for pairing with a luxurious front door. Try a charcoal, dark gray, or navy door for an additional $1,514 on your offers. These colors are viewed as extravagant and sturdy. Traits any new home buyer would want in their entryway.

Kitchens

Don’t: Yellow
Costs you: $820
Yellow kitchens were in fashion for several years but are now seen as passe. Buyers turned their noses at kitchens that were straw, dusty yellow, marigold, and other buttery variations of the bright color. Color specialists have noted the warm tone can be uplifting but quickly goes too far, creating a feeling of frenzy.

Do: Blue
Nets you: $1,809
Blue is back in soft and subtle shades. Light blues and gray-blues were the winners for kitchen colors this year. These colored kitchens generally netted an additional $2k in home offers. Blue is widely accepted and a popular choice. With kitchens being a busy room in the home, the notion that blue kitchens sell better makes sense.

Bathrooms

Don’t: White
Costs you: $4,035
White and just off white bathrooms can seem like they would feel clean and tidy. Wrong. While white will make the room seem more significant, it’s a bear to keep pristine for showings. Since bathrooms often have few windows and little natural light, the color tends to make the room look flat.

Do: Powder Blue
Nets You: $5,440
Blue wins again, in particular periwinkle. Houses with variations of blue bathrooms brought in $5,440 more this year. For a small room paint job, that’s a significant return.

Bedrooms

Don’t: Pink
Costs you: $209
Pink is past its prime. The color tends to be very polarizing. For a kids’ room, pink in any form is going to cost you. It seems that while pink was chic for several years, it’s over now.

Do: Blue
Nets you: $1,856
Use blue in Cadet or Light Cerulean to tickle buyers. Bedrooms in these two blues, in particular, brought in nearly $2k more.

Dining Rooms

Don’t: Terracotta
Costs you: $2,031
Most color consultants will tell you that terracotta belongs on your planters, not your walls. The color is jarring with the red and copper undertones. Buyers found that the color costs them $2,000 on their final sale prices.

Do: Slate
Nets you: $1,926
If you are set on taking a color from nature for your dining room, go with slate. The gray-blue color is calming and relaxing. Try pairing it with white shiplap or trim to brighten the room. When compared to white dining rooms, the extra offer was $1,926 higher.

Living Room

Don’t: Gray-blue
Costs you: $820
While grays and blues are trending in some areas of your home, keep it out of the living room. Periwinkle and pastel gray both cost homeowners almost $1,000 on sales.

Do: Beige
Nets you: $1,809
Boring beige is still requested for living rooms. It seems the warmth of the color lends itself to living rooms. Homes with pale taupe or oatmeal living room walls sold for almost $2,000 more than living rooms in other colors.

Want CertaPro Painters of Palatine to help with the paint job? Schedule a free estimate today!