How Interior Paint Choices Affect Your Home's Property Value

When trying to sell a house or apartment, it takes more than a great location to seal the deal. Aesthetics matter, and even though it's just a cosmetic feature, your choice of interior paint color can change how much you make at closing, according to Zillow Digs.

Lifehacker recently shared a study conducted by the real estate website that analyzed photos from over 50,000 sold homes. Paying close attention to the colors of main rooms like the kitchen, bathroom, dining room, and living room, Zillow found that homes with yellow kitchens sold for around $1360 above their expected values, while homes with white kitchens fell an average of $82 short of their estimated values. The data also showed that homes with oatmeal or beige-colored bathroom walls came in $283 over value, while light green to khaki-colored bedrooms yielded an average of $1331 above expected value, and terracotta living rooms translated to around $793 less when all was said and done. One of the biggest discrepancies was with dining room paint colors, where shades of purple could put sellers $1122 above expected values, but certain shades of grey could place them $1122 below estimates.

"To get the biggest bang for your buck, stick with colors that have mass appeal so you attract as many potential buyers to your listing as possible," Zillow chief economist Svenja Gudell said in a statement. "Warm neutrals like yellow or light gray are stylish and clean, signaling that the home is well cared for, or that previous owners had an eye for design that may translate to other areas within the house."

Zillow acknowledges that personal taste does play a role, but based on their data, there does seem to be a pattern. Even though there's no guarantee that paint will make a difference, it's an easy and relatively affordable solution that could be worth the time and effort when it comes time to sell.

Head on over to Zillow for the full rundown.

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