4 Your Home

Power of Paint: Which Colors Can Boost Your Home's Value

Blues are beloved in bathrooms, but there's one trendy color buyers don't like to see in kitchens

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A fresh coat of paint could mean the difference between thousands of dollars more — or less — on a home, if you're trying to sell.

"The more buyers you bring into their home, the more offers you're going to get, which translates into more money. So why wouldn't you just give the buyers what they want?" D.C. area realtor Ashleigh Wehmeyer said.

Online real estate database Zillow surveyed recent and prospective homebuyers on the topic of paint and whether or not that would influence their decision to buy. It turns out, paint is a deciding factor, with some people saying they're willing to pay more for a home based on its paint colors.

"Don't just think about one room. Think about how that one room is going to tie to the rest of the home and create a color story that allows you to have more flow in your house," Amanda Pendleton with Zillow said.

Bathrooms can be a spa-like retreat, if they're painted light blue. According to Zillow, buyers not only liked light blue bathrooms, but were willing to pay as much as $5,000 more for that color. Glimmer, Breath of Fresh Air and Borrowed Light are just a few examples of the types of blues buyers like.

Rich and moody colors in bedrooms, like dark blue, dark green or gray, were also a hit with buyers who were surveyed. According to Zillow, buyers were will to shell out as much as $1,500 more for those bedroom colors.

When deciding to sell, it's common to take on a couple of projects to make the home presentable. Paint can be the biggest bang for your buck, experts say.

"You're most likely going to sell your home to who you were back then, but with today's tastes. So, it's super important to pay attention to today's trends because nobody wants to move into their Grandma's house," Wehmeyer said. "We love Grandma. We want to see Grandma, but we don't necessarily want to live in Grandma's house."

Whites and light grays scored high in common areas. Sellers can have different shades in various rooms, but having a cohesive look is important.

One color to avoid in the kitchen: light green. It's popular right now, but Zillow said buyers were not impressed with it and would pay nearly $2,000 less for a home with light green in the kitchen.

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