When it comes to selling a home, it seems obvious to clean up the spaces, make home improvements, and remove personal touches like photographs in order to create broader appeal. Of course, a coat of paint doesn't hurt either—but new research indicates the color you choose can have an impact on your final sale.
That's right, a new report from Zillow—which surveyed 4,200 recent and prospective home buyers around the country—reveals that certain paint colors can help your house sell for more.
Dark olive green, navy blue, and dark gray are officially value-boosting colors for 2025.
The report found that:
"Buyers view olive green and navy blue as contemporary colors, and that can have a halo effect on their perception of the entire home," said Amanda Pendleton, Zillow's home trends expert. "These shades of blue and green are associated with organic modernism, a value-driving aesthetic that incorporates sustainable materials like wood and stone. These nature-inspired colors evoke the same feelings of serenity and tranquility."
Zillow's research also found that darker shades of green, blue, and gray outperformed white and lighter shades of sage green, and pale sky blue—which goes against the recommendation of "light and bright" when trying to sell.
"Today's buyers are drawn to bold, personalized hues that make a home feel like a sanctuary," the report read.
Color can also cost sellers thousands, so if you're trying to make top dollar, step away from yellow and red.
"Recent and prospective buyers would pay nearly $4,000 less for a home with a daisy yellow kitchen ($3,915 less) or living room ($3,891 less)," the report read. "They would pay nearly $2,000 less for a home with a fire hydrant red living room ($1,820 less) or bedroom ($1,987 less)."
