This One Paint Color Can Boost Your Home’s Value
Research shows that painting your interiors blue can boost the selling price by thousands of dollars.
Lisa Romerein
Whether you’re remodeling for personal comfort or to prep for sale, one of the toughest calls is what color to paint the interior and exterior of your home. But recent findings by Zillow might make that choice a bit easier: Blue is the it shade to raise your home’s value, according to the online real estate company’s 2021 paint color analysis.
The analysis found that homes with shades of blue sell for higher prices than homes painted other hues—even white. When it comes to a bathroom, light blue walls raised the selling price of a home by more than $4,000. In primary bedrooms, darker hues sealed the deal—dark blue, charcoal gray, and rich forest greens were the top colors for rooms to rest your head.
These findings aren’t exactly new; in fact, blue has been wearing Zillow’s color crown for a few years. The color even made its way into the hearts of folks over at Pantone: Classic Blue was their 2020 color of the year.
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Pantone described the shade as “instilling calm, confidence, and connection.” Their previous insight could also offer clues as to why the color still remains at the top of homeowners’ charts: “This enduring blue hue highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build.”
Survey Says….
Zillow’s consensus on the color blue came after the company surveyed more than 1,300 recent or prospective U.S. homebuyers. Each color received a score based on how interested participants were in touring a home, buying a home, and the price they would be willing to pay for the home, based on viewing that color in a particular room.
Light blue received a score of 93 out of 100, with participants willing to pay 1.6% more than the home’s asking price. This summer, BEHR will unveil an interior paint palette based on Zillow’s research, making it easy for homeowners to pick the colors that could boost their home’s sale price. Look for this partnership to soon extend to the aisles of home improvement stores nationwide.
A High Return on Investment
Kate Rogers, a senior behavioral scientist at Zillow, explains the thinking behind the research: “Our study found homebuyers may be particularly sensitive to paint color, despite paint being a relatively easy and inexpensive change because they’re navigating a complex environment with a lot of uncertainty. By using light neutral colors in the home’s common areas, it allows buyers to project their self-image onto the home.”
Some deep dives into the color theory behind the color blue show that it helps increase productivity, as well as feelings of calmness and serenity. In honor of the shade’s coveted value increase, we’ve gathered some of our best tips for decorating with blue.
From shade inspiration and painting techniques to decor and accents, keep scrolling for our favorite ways to decorate with blue.
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Go for Multiple Shades of Blue with a Tricolor Wall
Nothing brings a room together like breaking things up a bit. This tricolor wall will make any room cohesive, stylish, and one of a kind.
Fade out with a Few Hues on an Ombré Wall
Turn your walls into art with this ombré painting technique.
All of the Info You Need to Understand Why Blue is Better
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The classic color is one to invest in, and here are the products our editors are shopping.
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The great room at Sunset’s 2014 Idea House in Manhattan Beach, California.
