Best Interior Wall Colors for Selling a House

Before you put up your property for sale, your realtor might suggest that you repaint the interior walls. Here are the popular colors to paint your house to get it sold faster. Let’s get started.

Your choice among the various shades of a particular color can have a tremendous impact on the first impressions the house makes on your potential homebuyers, and these impressions can make or break the sale.

After close analysis of 135,000 photos of houses across the country, Zillow discovered that home interiors with neutral colors are popular among homebuyers in general. Light blue bathrooms and cream-colored living areas have seen a spike in home sales.

On the other hand, homes with darker colored walls—shades of red and brown—sold, on average, for $2,310 less! Clearly, a fresh new coat of paint is a good investment before putting your house on the market.

1. Colors for rooms

The research that Zillow did is only one study among many that suggest color plays a big part in property value. Realtors recommend that home sellers follow the trends, which means that you need to narrow down your choices to neutral palettes that are as current as they are classy. The less striking colors on the walls put more emphasis on the color of the furnishings.

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a. Less popular colors

Homes with pink bedrooms reduce the selling price by $208 on average. Kitchens that are painted yellow reduce the sales price by an average of $820, as do living rooms painted blue.

Dining rooms painted red, very popular in the 1990s, bring prices down by a substantial $2,031. Least popular of all, homes with bathrooms painted white can bring down the sales price by a staggering $4,035.

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b. Popular colors

Some of the most popular interior colors among realtors are light shades of gray, but the particular shade makes a difference. Gray tones that are too dark need extra lighting, and grays that are too light can look shabby. The paint finish is also key to the perception of the colors.

Among homebuyers today, the most universally pleasing combination is a light wall color in a semi-gloss finish, with white trim and doors. This combination can work in almost any room.

Light shades of blue and gray remain as the most popular powder room color choices. These colors are correlated with an average increase of $5,440 in a home’s value.

Try serving up blue-grays or light grays in your dining room. These shades can elicit a premium of $1,926 over the average selling price. Likewise, shades of light blue and gray are winning over bedrooms, helping realtors to increase the selling price by $1,856.

As for the living area, Zillow has found that shades of light gray and beige attract realtors, but for different reasons. Preferences for gray in the living room are due to its compatibility with furniture and flooring, whereas those who prefer beige mention the feeling of warmth in a shared space.

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2. Factors that can affect the color

There are two other factors that come into play when considering interior colors: natural light and the paint finish.

a. Natural light

It is best to strategize the lighting in your home. Remember that if natural light does not pass through your house, even shades of white or cream will look gray and dingy in dim light. Choosing a neutral color palette with a warm undertone will look better.

If you want a low-light space to feel warmer, you need to saturate the colors. While this does not require you to choose palettes that are over-the-top dark or bright, interior decorators and experts recommend that you avoid gray undertones and instead choose a shade that still has a sense of light, even in dim lighting.

b. Paint finish

Once you have chosen the color for your interiors, your last task is to find the right finish. This will change how the color looks to the naked eye.

Many interior decorators claim that paints with higher sheen are more durable. Since kitchens and bathrooms are exposed to water and other liquids, choose paints that are easy to wipe down, such as those with a semi-gloss or high-gloss finish.

For spaces (such as the living area) where people gather during parties, or where kids often play, walls require paints that are easily cleaned. For best results, use a satin finish. The dining room, in contrast, has less activity and can benefit from smooth and clean walls. For that, you can choose an eggshell finish. In areas with the least traffic, such as the bedrooms, you can use matte or flat finishes.

You can apply your knowledge of shades, tints, and finishes for each area of your house. First, check the lighting in the house. Next use palette chips to test how they look in the natural light. Finally, choose a combination of colors that will flow nicely from room to room.

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3. Best colors for selling a house interior

a. Beige

Beige is best used to add a little warmth to a room full of earth tones. Think a bit of the beach on your walls, beckoning you with the breeze and the waves. Beiges are fantastic for entryways and living areas, since they give a sense of the space becoming cozier and more comfortable. Additional shades in this family include ecru, hazelnut and camel.

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b. White

Regarded as a safe and conservative palette choice, white can serve as a blank page, allowing homebuyers to easily envision their own style in the room. Be careful and choose the most effective shade of white; anything too bright may be too stark for the eye and may put off potential buyers. For the kitchen, dining room and the living space, choose warmer undertones to help the rooms appear clean and easy on the eyes.

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c. Gray

Light gray is a neutral shade that works anywhere, providing a complementary background that lets other colors in the room pop out. It works well with bold patterns on throw pillows, rugs, and colorful wall decorations.

While various shades of gray are popular in the market, as with white, you need to be careful—try to match your chosen color tone with the natural lighting in the room. Anything too gray will look too cheerless on the walls.

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d. Greige

A mixture of gray and beige, this color has taken the market by storm in recent years. Considered the apex neutral, it is perfect for living spaces where people gather together, such as the living room, kitchen, entryway, hallway and foyers. With gray for neutrality and beige for warmth, it has everything a buyer may want.

This color also works well in bathrooms and bedrooms, giving a cozy feel to intimate spaces. Very little clashes with greige, so homebuyers need not worry that their furniture and decorations won’t fit.

e. Blue

Bringing blue to your room is like inviting in a fresh, cool breeze that settles and stays on the walls. It can be the color of calm or coolness, so use it appropriately to make the space feel light and breathable.

Like the rest of the colors on this list, use lighter hues of blue when painting to attract potential homebuyers, just to be on the safe side. While darker shades, used correctly, can have an astounding effect on interior design, they can intimidate buyers.

f. Cream

Common but classic, cream tints are the interior wall decorator’s best friend. They work for any room in the house, and the right shade can make a room look not only brighter but also softer. Stunning cream shades make the walls stand out without making the room look too stark, and provide a truly neutral canvas for furnishings and decor.

As with any paint choice, you’re best off painting large test areas on the wall before committing, as subtle differences in cream tones can lead to big differences in the ultimate effect.

Now that you have some insight into the power of color choices in selling a home, you may be more motivated to take the tedious but crucial step of repainting before you open the house for showings. The tips you’ve read can point you in the right direction to make this project one of your best in terms of return on investment.

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