Paint Colors and Home Prices

Buyers like a blue bathroom so much that they’re willing to pay more for it.

Based on 32,000 photos from sold homes around the country, Zillow’s 2017 Paint Color Analysis examined how certain paint colors affect a home’s average sales price compared with similar homes that have white walls.

Homes with blue bathrooms, particularly those painted light powder blue or periwinkle, sold at the highest premium: $5,440 more than average.

But a preference for blue isn’t limited to the bathroom. On average, homes were sold at a premium of $1,926 for slate blue to pale gray-blue dining rooms; $1,856 for light cerulean to cadet blue bedrooms; and $1,809 for light blue to soft gray-blue kitchens. A home with a navy blue front door could sell for $1,514 more than expected.

“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,” Svenja Gudell, Zillow’s chief economist, said in a statement. “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.”

Beige and greige also got some love from buyers: Homes with living rooms painted light beige or pale taupe sold for $1,809 more than expected, and homes with gray-brown exteriors sold at a $1,526 premium.

The analysis also revealed that buyers don’t care for white bathrooms, which sold for $4,035 less than expected. Other colors that negatively affected home prices include red and terra-cotta bedrooms ($2,031 less than expected) and brown home exteriors ($1,970).

But the embrace of blue hues doesn’t extend to the living room: Light blue and periwinkle living rooms sold for $820 less than expected.