Bedroom with one chocolate brown accent wall, sunlight streaming in.
Home sellers looking to maximize their offers might want to consider a fresh coat of paint, with a surprising color topping Zillow’s list for potential value addition. Chocolate brown in bedrooms, for instance, could add an estimated $2,277 to a home’s offer price, moving away from the traditional preference for neutral white walls.
According to Zillow’s 2026 Paint Color Analysis, buyers are increasingly drawn to warm, inviting tones. “When it comes to getting the most out of your home before selling, paint is one of the easiest and most affordable places to start,” Charlie Lankston, executive editor at Realtor.com, told FOX Business. “A fresh coat can instantly boost the appeal of a home the moment a buyer walks in the door.”
Beyond chocolate brown, other high-performing colors include pale blue in living rooms, which could add about $1,723, and charcoal gray in living rooms, potentially adding $1,509 compared to white. In bedrooms, charcoal gray could add $1,240, and sage green, noted for its consistent appeal across various rooms, could add approximately $1,035.
Darker kitchen colors also showed strong performance, with charcoal gray potentially increasing offers by $1,373 and dark plum by $867. The study highlighted the significant impact of kitchen paint choices, with the difference between the best and worst colors reaching nearly $8,000.
Conversely, some colors can detract from a home’s sale price. Ochre yellow was identified as the worst-performing color, potentially lowering an offer by as much as $18,164 when used in kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, and bathrooms. A fire-hydrant red bathroom could reduce offers by nearly $8,000, and pale pink also performed poorly across all studied rooms.
Lankston emphasized that while paint is a strong starting point for improving return on investment (ROI), it should be part of a broader renovation strategy. “Kitchens and bathrooms remain the foundational investments, and for sellers who want to go further, outdoor living spaces are delivering serious returns,” she added. “Deck additions can see a high ROI for buyers who want those creature comforts of the indoors brought outside.”
Homeowners are advised to consult with a local real estate agent before repainting, as buyer preferences can vary by neighborhood. The Zillow study surveyed over 4,400 recent and prospective homebuyers across the U.S.
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