4 Colors That Decrease The Value Of Your Home

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We all have our own preference when it comes to colors, but according to some research, the paint colors we choose can directly impact the value of our homes.

Zillow analyzed 50,000 homes across the country to find that color decisions within a home can affect the final sale price of the home by over $1,000, give or take. The study revealed that while we all may not agree on our color choices, there are four paint colors in particular that should be avoided in order to get the maximum sale price for our homes.

Here are the colors that will decrease the value of your home, and that you should try to avoid at all costs.

1. Slate Gray

Gray is a popular and well-liked paint color choice, but you have to be careful when selecting the shade. Choosing the wrong shade of gray may either increase or decrease the final sale price of your home by more than $1,000.

Homeowners who chose to use slate gray on their dining room walls, for example, got $1,100 below the expected sale price for their home. In contrast, living room walls that were painted dove or light gray helped increased a home’s value by $1,100.

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2. Off-White

This might be the most surprising of the four offending colors. The study found that the use of off-white in some spaces—especially kitchens—can make a them feel flat or dead.

Homes with off-white or eggshell kitchens were found to go for $82 below market value.

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3. Terracotta

This bold paint choice could put a dent of -$793 on the value of your home. Zillow found that homes with terracotta-colored living rooms sold for less than the expected value.

Terracotta

4. Dark Brown

This color has been referred to as dirty, tar and even death (which sounds a little harsh if you ask me). When used in a bathroom or bedroom, dark brown lowered the final sale price by up to $469.

According to TIME, this color is disliked to the extent that the Australian government almost used it as the color on cigarette packaging to make smoking less appealing.

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RELATED: 11 Genius Ways To Save Money At Home Depot And Lowe’s

What colors actually add value to a home?

When looking to increase the value of our homes with a fresh coat of paint, Zillow suggests steering clear of these four paint choices.

Instead, we might consider painting our kitchens in a creamy shade of yellow for an approximate $1,300 increase in final sale price. Homes with bedrooms painted light green or khaki saw a similar boost, and homes with dove or light gray living rooms sold for about $1,100 above the expected value.

In the same analysis as stated above, Zillow experts analyzed photos from nearly 50,000 homes sold around the country and came up with some interesting results about which paint colors get you the most bang for your buck.

Here are the paint colors that can increase the value of your home.

1. Purple

This one may throw you for a loop, but buyers apparently dig certain shades of purple in the dining room. Zillow found that mauve, eggplant or lavender increased the sale price of homes by $1,122.

2. Tan

Paint your bathroom an oatmeal or beige color and you’ll see the sale price of your house go up $283, according to Zillow.

For perhaps obvious reasons, you’ll want to steer clear of dark brown in the restroom or you could lose out on $469 come sale time.

3. Yellow

A creamy or wheat-colored yellow in your kitchen can increase the sale price of your home by $1,360, the Zillow analysis found.

Though it’s tempting to want a crisp, clean white kitchen, you’ll want to steer clear of off-white or eggshell, as those two colors can decrease your sale price by $82.

4. Green

In the bedroom, focus on light green or khaki colors to see an increase of $1,332 on your sale price. And once again, steer clear of dark brown—it may cost you $236.

5. Light Grey

Grey is apparently another question in the living room. If you paint your living room a dove or light gray color, you could increase your sale price by $1,104.

If you’re planning to do a little updating this spring or summer, you want to make smart choices about how you spend your money.

Happy painting!

RELATED: Command hooks are great for hanging items without ruining a nice paint job. Here are a few other ways to use the hooks that you may not have thought of!

Related: 1 easy trick for spray cans

[h/t: My Domaine]

DIY & Improvement, Home
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