It's one of the golden rules of real estate: Paint your walls white before your home hits the market so buyers can imagine a blank canvas. But the most recent paint study from a major real estate site shows that, on the contrary, adding rich, moody hues to your home can help you drive up the sale price.
White is one of the best colors for selling a home because it's simple, timeless, and not influenced by personal taste, which allows potential buyers to see it as their own blank canvas. And when buyers can see your home as a blank canvas, it dramatically increases the pool of buyers you appeal to.
A notable study of over 135,000 homes by Zillow Digs found that white and beige exteriors tend to receive the highest boost in resale value. Additionally, gray and blue were also shown to perform well in terms of sale price. On the contrary, homes with a red exterior frequently sold for less.
Neutral Colors Have the Best Resale Value
A 2019 study by Zillow analyzed over 135,000 photos from sold homes across the United States. The study found that homes with dark gray or light blue-gray exterior colors sold for more than similar homes with other colors.
Since 2011, the months of February through June have been the most lucrative time to sell, according to a 2024 study by ATTOM Data Solutions, with May in particular earning sellers an average premium of 13.1 percent above market value.
While white will never be completely out of style, we are seeing a resurgence of more earthy tones. The return of the seventies has been influencing interior trends for 2024; with a palette of warm taupes, tan browns, and caramel tones seeing a sharp renewal.
What Are the Worst Colors for Resale? The most off-putting color for buyers is red, according to the 2024 “Paint and Color Trends Report” from Fixr. For its report, the home remodeling site polled 71 interior designers and home stagers, and 59 percent agreed that red turns away buyers.
Colonial. Colonial-style homes have the highest resale factor when all other elements are equal. These two-story homes that often have a boxlike appearance are popular because of the amount of functional living space that they often have. Many homeowners also prefer their minimalistic design.
A recent appraisal of The White House -- as a prime property, not the seat of world power -- set its price at $1.5 billion (with a B).
When it comes to real estate value, black front doors often lead the pack. Studies have shown that homes with black or charcoal gray doors can sell for significantly higher prices compared to homes with doors of other colours.
From oxblood to navy to warm white, these colors create a luxurious look, and there are plenty of ways to infuse your home with them. You could add a large piece of furniture, like a statement couch.
The most off-putting color for buyers is red, according to the 2024 “Paint and Color Trends Report” from Fixr. For its report, the home remodeling site polled 71 interior designers and home stagers, and 59 percent agreed that red turns away buyers.
When in doubt, white it out. Fixr's surveyed pros believe white paint will sell your home because not only does it provide future buyers with a blank slate, but it gives living rooms a fresh, well-kept appearance that appeals to the masses.
Age could bring down a home's value, especially if the home needs work. Buying a fixer-upper can translate to all kinds of additional costs. There are cosmetic concerns such as an outdated kitchen or a less-than-modern floor plan, and then there are functional issues like problems with the home's roof or plumbing.
Beige: The Warm Neutral Taking Over
This modern take on beige offers a perfect blend of warmth and flexibility, allowing it to suit a wide range of styles and preferences. One of the reasons beige is replacing gray is its ability to bring warmth to a room.
Beige Colors
Starting with another classic neutral, beige is a tried-and-true alternative to stark white. This shade will bring warmth to your space without distracting from your décor. Experiment with tones that range from vanilla to sandy brown.
Modern trends toward more minimal styling, and large wheels favoring very low-profile tires leave little room for a whitewall.
While the data for 2024 currently has January as the slowest month, with just over 4,000 sales, we're actually predicting that December will take the bottom spot for 2024. Regardless, you can see that the end of the year and start of the year are not busy times for real estate generally.
Best day for the fastest sale
Listing your property on a Thursday can help sell a home fast as well as for the best price, the Zillow study found. This time frame gives sellers enough time to have multiple showings over the weekend — and, hopefully, an offer or two by Monday.
What Is the Cheapest Month to Buy a House? Home prices are usually at their lowest in winter. In fact, based on the 12-month period in the table above, home prices were at their lowest in January 2024—at a median of $378,600.