These paint colors can add thousands of dollars to your home's sale price

The right paint color can completely transform a space, but when it comes to selling a home, personal preference should ideally take a backseat. For years, real estate agents have advised clients to go for light and neutral colors, safe hues like millennial gray or beige.

Now, a new study suggests a different tack: Richer, moodier colors may help your home sell for a higher price. Here are some colors that can increase your sale price (and when they're best), as well as some that may turn buyers off.

About the Color Report

Commissioned its behavioral science team to survey more than 4,000 recent active homebuyers. Based on their responses, ten colors were rated on factors including likelihood to buy the home and purchase price.

"Buyers perceive olive green and navy as modern colors, which may have a halo effect on their perception of the home as a whole," says home trends expert Amanda Pendleton. These blue and green hues are associated with organic modernism, a value-oriented aesthetic that incorporates sustainable materials like wood and stone. These natural colors can evoke the same sense of peace and tranquility.

Paint Colors That Boost Home Value

Dark greens, blues, and grays consistently outsell standard light neutrals, even surpassing recent favorites like sage green and light sky blue. Analysis shows that buyers prefer deep, intimate colors that give a sense of privacy, but choosing the right color is crucial.

Dark Olive Green

Green is a popular color for kitchens this year. Surveys show that buyers are particularly fond of olive green. However, a soft green on any cabinetry can increase the value of a home by up to $1,597.

Navy Blue

A navy blue bedroom is particularly attractive to buyers and can increase the sale price of a home by $1,815. The color pairs well with other modern design trends inspired by nature, such as organic modernism.

Charcoal Gray

Charcoal gray is once again the most popular color for living rooms (it also topped the last color survey). Painting a living room a dark gray can increase the value of a home by $2,593. While olive green and navy are also popular, charcoal gray is a versatile alternative in kitchens and bedrooms.

Mocha

Homebuyers prefer the 2025 Pantone Color of the Year or any mid-tone brown in the bathroom. These more subtle neutral earth tones perform better than the muted, cool tones that buyers are used to seeing.

Colors that Lower Property Values

Sadly, not all bold colors are the right choice, and the wrong color can cost sellers more than $4,000. Here are some paint color choices that should be avoided at all costs.

Daisy Yellow

Retro kitchens are in, but bold daisy yellow paint is not. According to Zillow, buyers can pay $3,915 less if the kitchen is daisy yellow. However, the disgust doesn't stop there: if the same color is used in the living room, the sale price may be reduced by $3,891.

Fire Hydrant Red

When selling, fire hydrant red is not recommended for living rooms or bedrooms. If a living room uses a bold red, the sale price could drop by $1,820, while a bedroom using the same color could drop by $1,987.

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