Your Home's Color May Be Sending The Wrong Message To Potential Buyers

Home is where the heart is — that is, until you put yours on the market. Then, it becomes your mission to find a new owner for your special place. While there are plenty of insider tips and staging tricks that will help your home sell faster, the opposite is also true: A few false steps, and prospective buyers might be repelled from your residence. The biggest offender? Believe it or not, painting your home bright, bold colors like yellow, red, or lime green.

First impressions matter, and several reports, like HomeLight's Top Agent Insights report, found that painting the exterior of your home can lead to a 51% return of investment (ROI). But remember: Certain shades might rub prospective buyers the wrong way. Remodeling resource Fixr.com asked over 70 design professionals about the best exterior paint colors to increase a home's value — and only 1% of participants said yellow. When asked about the most off-putting colors, 59% said red, 53% said lime green, and 40% said bright yellow.

Red might be a common color for brick exteriors, but painted facades can evoke feelings of anger, aggression, or danger — not exactly the vibe you want to create in your home. While green and yellow are more approachable hues, ultra-bright and saturated shades may be overstimulating and off-putting. Translation? If you want your home to fly off the market, stay away from those bold hues. 

Instead of blindingly bright hues, keep your exterior paint shades simple. In the same Fixr.com survey, 49% of participants believed white exteriors can help increase your home's value. Close behind, 48% of experts said natural wood stains, while 36% and 32% said cream and tan or beige, respectively.

But just because neutral siding has the most selling potential doesn't mean your place will look dull. Wow the crowd and create contrast with a black front door. The benefit of painting your front door black, according to Zillow research, is that it can actually increase your property's value by $6,449. In other words, it's a small tweak that can equal big bucks for your bottom line.

That said, the real secret to boosting your home's curb appeal is a quality paint job. Want to avoid common mistake everyone makes when choosing exterior paint? Do your research on the difference between acrylic- and oil-based formulas, look for options without VOCs, and consider a gallon of multi-purpose paint and primer. But once you have your palette and paint selected, there's nothing to it but to do it. To help, check out these tips for painting the exterior of your home like a pro.