Best Paint Colors for Selling a House Exterior 2018

Painting to sell a house involves a very unlike prepare of considerations and goals than general painting projects.

When selling, the name of the game is speed, savings, and making the habitation appeal to equally wide an audience equally possible.

✍️ Why you lot should trust u.s.a.

There are countless "how to paint your house to sell" guides out at that place full of impractical, general painting advice and capricious information that can pb you lot down the wrong path.

This guide is dissimilar. We read books, talked to real manor experts, and did extensive research to distill the well-nigh of import painting principles and tips specifically for home sellers.

Read on to observe the all-time interior and exterior paint colors to sell a house, how to make the right option for different styles of rooms and homes, and practical cost saving tips and tricks.

However, before you dive into a major painting projection, information technology's best to consult with an experienced realtor. They tin tell y'all what improvements and repairs will make your dwelling more than appealing to buyers, and help you avoid wasting money on projects that won't add value to your dwelling.

Need help finding a bang-up local realtor? Clever can assistance! Clever is a complimentary service that matches you with handpicked agents in your local market from trusted brokerages similar Berkshire Hathaway and Keller Williams.

Clever likewise negotiates low commission rates of 1% or $3,000 for you lot, and so you lot can sell your house with a acme local agent — and get incredible savings besides!

» More than: Find your perfect agent, salvage thousands on realtor fees!

Should I paint my firm earlier selling?

Information technology's almost e'er a expert idea to pigment before you sell your firm, assuming your timeline and upkeep let for it.

Painting is relatively cheap and makes a big impact on your power to attract interest to your dwelling.

Interior and outside paint jobs are quite unlike, so they'll need to be considered separately.

Interior paint jobs are usually cheaper because they're fairly simple, and you lot may simply have to paint a couple of rooms.
Exterior paint jobs are usually more expensive because of their size and complexity, which often ways that doing it yourself is out of the question.

We've broken down some of the most common reasons for repainting a house before selling.

Reasons to consider repainting your domicile's interior	Reasons to consider repainting your home's exterior
Lots of night colors, inconsistent colour schemes, bold accent walls » More than Visible scuffs, holes, writing, stains, and cracks » More than Noticeable odors from pets, cigarette smoke, etc. » More Older domicile with outdated design scheme and fixtures (cabinets, counters, etc.) » More	Faded or worn paint due to exposure to the elements (typically after 7-10 years) » More Outdated exterior color scheme (trends typically modify every 10-20 years) » More Visible cracking pigment, mildew, broken siding, and other exterior damage » More

Patently, every seller's state of affairs is different. Sometimes you tin avoid painting even if one or more than of the above items apply.

For example, in some areas, competition amid buyers is so steep that most homes sell within days of being listed — whether they've been painted or non.

In cooler markets, where buyers have their choice of the litter, you'll need to exercise everything you can to brand your home stand up out. In these cases, not painting may put you at a competitive disadvantage and make your home harder to sell.

All-time interior paint colors to sell a house in 2021

✍️ Best interior paint colors for: Walls | Ceiling | Trim

Home sellers should most e'er opt for lite and neutral tones like biscuit, greyness, and fair.

These colors might seem a little wearisome, but recollect why y'all're painting:

Yous're trying to entreatment to the widest possible audience, non your own tastes!

Dark, vibrant, or inconsistent schemes make homes feel smaller, stuffier, and less inviting. They also impede the buyers' power to insert themselves — i.e., their property and tastes — into the space.

In contrast, light color schemes make your habitation feel open and spacious — like a "blank canvass" for prospective buyers

Additionally, having fewer complicated pattern decisions to bargain with streamlines the entire procedure. Fast and easy is the proper name of the game when yous're selling.

Hottest interior colors in 2021

These are the "hottest" colors correct now according to Consumer Reports ^[1] but take them with a grain of salt as a home seller.

You might want to take the trendy approach if y'all already take a modern home, but in near cases, following our tried-and-true advice will exist the most efficient approach for selling.

Opt for a simple three-color paint scheme

Nigh interior paint jobs consist of three major components:

Walls
Ceiling
Trim

Of course, there are all sorts of cool, design-y ways to arroyo your interior color scheme. As painful as information technology is to say, avoid the temptation to exist creative!

As a seller, you want to go along your interior as unproblematic as humanly possible. This will save you fourth dimension and money — AND maximize your dwelling house'southward appeal.

We recommend employing a elementary, 3-color scheme because information technology's cheap, information technology'southward easy to pull off, and it looks keen in merely about any room.

Simple iii-color scheme for selling a home
Walls	Apartment beige, off-white, or light gray
Ceiling	Flat "ceiling white"
Trim	Semi-gloss bright white

Three-color paint scheme

Of class, the above scheme is a suggestion, not a hard-and-fast rule. Always consider the unique characteristics of your home before y'all choose your scheme or arroyo.

The specifics of your interior paint job will be influenced by a number of factors, including:

The current wall colour
Your budget
Your timeline for painting
The layout of your rooms

Talk to the experts at your local paint store or reach out to a few local contractors for advice.

These professionals take a ton of practical experience and will likely be able to recommend a specific arroyo to fit your timeframe and upkeep.

Best paint colors for walls

Walls make up the largest surface area of any room. Stick with light, neutral tones — think white, beige, grayness, etc. — to keep the space feeling open and airy.

We recommend opting for flat or semi-gloss finishes, as they're typically less expensive than high-gloss paint and practise a better job of hiding imperfections in the surfaces of your walls.

Loftier-gloss and eggshell tend to exist more durable than flatter finishes, but don't lose sight of the goal:

You're painting to sell!

It actually merely has to look good for a few months — and the heir-apparent may do some repainting afterwards moving in anyhow, to personalize their new dwelling house.

Best paint colors for ceilings

Flat-white paint is the become-to choice for ceilings for several reasons:

Inexpensive
Hides imperfections
Makes the ceiling feel higher

Even if y'all're thinking the ceilings look "ok," information technology probably makes sense to go ahead and repaint them anyway, along with your walls.

When y'all pigment the walls but not the ceilings, it tin can make them look tired in dissimilarity, and they'll stick out like a sore thumb.

Moreover, ceiling paint is cheap, painting ceilings is relatively easy, and doing so gives you a run a risk to cover any paint marks that may have been left backside when you were rolling your walls.

All-time trim colors

When it comes to interior trim, we recommend "semi-gloss white" for almost every situation.

A glossy sheen volition "pop" against the backdrop of a matte wall, adding involvement to the room without being also pushy or overbearing.

While semi-gloss white is certainly the about conventional and popular choice, there are situations in which it makes sense to stray slightly from the beaten path.

For example, a room with pure white walls might benefit from the slight dissimilarity of an off-white or fifty-fifty grey trim.

Trim also comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes, from 3-inch baseboard to 36-inch chair rail to crown molding.

An extra splash of color may be more advisable on trim with detailed carvings or routed edges.

Again, semi-gloss white is usually a safe bet, but talk to your agent or painter for more specific advice.

Interior price considerations

Interior painting projects typically price effectually $1,000-iii,000, although the price of repainting the entire interior of a abode with a contractor could run as loftier as $4,000-11,000 depending on your abode size and paint quality.^[2] The average cost drops to well-nigh $1,800 if y'all choose to go the DIY road.

Of course, the total cost of the project will vary considerably based on a number of factors, including the:

Size of the house
Number of rooms that demand to be painted
Complexity of the job (just walls vs. walls, ceiling, and trim)

Painting the home yourself might expect amend on paper, only when yous're selling, it's commonly not the all-time option.

When you lot're painting a house to sell, the ii most of import things are speed and quality.

Professional painters are going to get the job done faster and make it expect dandy. Equally skilled equally you call back y'all are, trust us — they're better.

Believe it or not, there are some cost benefits besides to hiring a pro also. Painters tin aid yous save on materials via their contractor accounts, which can offset some of the labor costs.

Plus, professionals will do the chore right the starting time time (most DIY pigment jobs involve mistakes and purchasing more materials to fix said mistakes).

The simplest way to reduce labor costs is doing some prep work yourself in accelerate, since about painters charge by the hour.

By moving all of the furniture out of the way, for instance, y'all salve your painters time when they show up to work.

Desire to save coin when you sell your dwelling house? There's an easier way than digging out your pigment overalls and trying to do the prep piece of work yourself.

Clever negotiates huge discounts with top real estate agents at trusted brokerages in your surface area. Clever'due south free service matches you with agents handpicked for your unique situation, then y'all can find the perfect realtor AND relieve thousands on commission.

Interior painting tips and tricks for home sellers

Repainting night rooms with light colors

Dark and/or inconsistent paint schemes can oft brand rooms — or your entire house — feel stuffy and cramped.

To mask nighttime colors, lay downward i to ii coats of primer before applying low-cal paint. This will ensure that the dark colour does not bleed through to the top coat.

» Nosotros recommend: Kilz Original Interior Primer

Making an sometime firm look modern

Woods grain cabinets, linoleum floors, and other features tin make an former firm wait out of date.

Unproblematic touches like painting dated kitchen cabinets white can transform the appearance of an erstwhile house.

» We recommend: Rust-Oleum Chiffonier Transformations

Getting rid of unpleasant odors

Unpleasant odors such as cigarette smoke can seep into your walls and become a huge turnoff to potential buyers.

There are special paints that you can apply to smelly walls to lock in bad odors before laying down your superlative coat.

» Nosotros recommend: Kilz Restoration Interior Primer

Painting on a tight timeline

You may want to list your house as soon as possible, but you realize that it needs to be painted quickly before list photos are taken.

Get an all-in-i paint and primer that dries apace and then that y'all can save time and minimize prep piece of work.

» We recommend: ColorPlace Ultra Interior Paint + Primer

Fixing stained, cracked or peeling paint

With fourth dimension, paint can get stained by spills or start to fissure and peel.

Minor patches can be repaired with spackling, but more than extensive repairs volition probably require yous to hire a handyman who tin replace drywall before priming and painting.

» We recommend: Dap DryDex

All-time outside paint colors to sell a house

✍️ All-time exterior paint colors for: Different abode styles | Siding | Trim | Accents

Slapping a fresh coat of paint on a dwelling house'southward exterior — particularly if it's a flake older — is a great fashion to increase its curb appeal and concenter more involvement from prospective buyers.

While the general dominion of thumb for interiors is "keep it light and neutral," choosing a primary colour for the exterior is largely based on three factors:

Latest color trends in your area
The style of home being sold
Exterior materials and features

Hottest exterior colors in 2021

Consumer Reports' color picks are a expert barometer for full general trends and tastes^[3], but the best option will depend on your domicile's style, exterior materials, and features.

What way of home are you selling?


Victorian Victorian homes were designed to create a dramatic contrast with vivid colors like yellows, reds, oranges, and pinks. While white trim is traditional, contrasting trim colors are acceptable if you want to add some pop.	Mid-century modern Mid-century modern houses are nigh balancing natural and pattern-y elements. Consider using accents that popular confronting natural materials, like orange or vivid green against a stone or brick facade.	Cape Cod Endeavor to proceed things simple and traditional. Good Cape Cod colors include soft white, grays, light dejection, or neutral sand tones. Trim is normally white, but yous tin can boost the dynamics past adding shutters with earthy tones like woods greenish or ocean blueish.	Ranch-style dwelling Ranch-style homes are all-time with rich, warm earth tones like chocolate-brown or biscuit. Natural materials are usually built into the exterior of a ranch, so creating dissimilarity isn't as much of a concern. You can play up natural tones in brick or stone by complimentary earthy tones similar woods green. For a more modernistic touch, add a bold accent like a vivid red front door.	Bungalow For a bungalow, stick to classic colors like white, gray, or taupe for a timeless look. Even so, if you desire to modernize the exterior, endeavor deep blue, sage green, or yellow. As a full general rule, create contrast with trim elements by choosing dark trim for light siding, and vice versa.	Tudor Tudor-style houses become all-time with traditional colors similar white, night brown, and blackness. With the unique Tudor design, contrasting trim is non the norm. Instead, choose nighttime, wood-similar trim colors, or use dark dejection or night grays for a slightly more mod touch. A brilliant green emphasis door can be a great accent that really pops against the stucco or brick of a Tudor house.

Picking an outside color scheme

Repainting an exterior is almost never as uncomplicated as choosing a single color and blasting the whole thing with a spray gun.

You'll have to choose a scheme that accounts for all of the unlike design and structural features of the home and ties them together.

Almost outside paint jobs consist of at least three core components:

Siding
Trim
Accents (doors, shutters, etc.)

Beneath, we've compiled some general considerations and tips for how to approach each component individually, and as a whole.

Siding colors depend on the abode'south style and materials

Your siding pick volition largely depend on two factors:

Your abode'southward mode
The siding materials

As a full general rule, traditional siding materials like forest look all-time with traditional colors, like white, bluish, ruby, and and so on.

More modernistic siding materials, such equally concrete, metal, and vinyl, oftentimes pair best with modern tones, like light grays and tans — just yous can get fifty-fifty edgier with darker colors like black and gunmetal gray (of course, clean white with black trim is a slick look too).

Looking for inspiration? Head online to check out other listings in your area that are the same style as your home. This will provide some inspiration and be a practiced indicator for what's trending in your area right now.

Use trim to add contrast and interest (or tone it downwards)

Typically, the purpose of painting trim is to emphasize the architectural features of your home'due south exterior and create a noticeable contrast with your siding.

The general rule is to pair night siding with light trim, and vice versa.

Of course, there are some notable exceptions.

For instance, a more modern, minimalist domicile with understated trim elements may be better off with dark trim that only creates a subtle contrast.

Some historic homes — particularly Victorian-fashion homes — often use bright trim colors to heighten their unique grapheme and make ornate architectural features pop.

Choose accents to suit your tastes and style of dwelling

Choosing the right colors for accents — shutters, doors, etc. — depends on your dwelling'south siding and trim colors, likewise as your desired visual effect.

If you're going for a more than traditional, understated expect, nosotros recommend either matching your accents to your trim — or, if you really want them to fade to the background, with your siding.

Choose traditional, understated tones, such as grays, whites, and other world-tones, that add slight dissimilarity and interest without ruffling whatever feathers.

That said, accents can as well be a cracking opportunity for adding a splash of color to an otherwise muted home.

Blues, reds, and greens tin expect great — particularly with lite siding and natural exteriors like brick, stone, and raw wood.

Should I paint my door a bright, "fun" color?

Opting for a funky, "non-traditional" door color — cherry blood-red, sky blue, lime green, mustard yellow, etc. — is quite trendy these days. It tin certainly add involvement to your dwelling'south exterior, merely it also could turn off some prospective buyers.

Whether an "out-at that place" front door colour is a good idea really depends on your dwelling house'southward style and target audition. We recommend speaking to your amanuensis before making any unconventional painting choices that could jeopardize your ability to sell speedily and for elevation dollar.

Price considerations for outside pigment jobs

Exterior paint jobs tend to be more expensive than interior jobs. A full repaint of a abode's outside costs $4,000, on average^[4].

The steep cost of outside painting is because the calibration of work is typically larger and more than complicated than interior painting.

For these reasons, exterior painting typically requires a professional person. Doing it yourself is not recommended.

In some instances, you lot might be able to get away with repainting just one of the three outside components — your trim, siding, or accents — or touching upwards trouble areas.

Most of the time, however, if at that place's an issue, you'll desire to tackle information technology all in one become.

Exterior paint tends to fade quickly — due to exposure from the elements — so you lot'll probable accept a hard time getting the fresh paint to friction match what'south already there.

Moreover, the prep work makes up a pregnant chunk of the overall cost of an outside projection. Oftentimes, painting all three outside components isn't that much more expensive than doing one — and it makes a big deviation in terms of curb appeal.

To find the best value, always get quotes from multiple, highly rated pigment contractors in your area.

If you're planning to paint both your dwelling house'southward interior and outside, you lot may be able to save money and fourth dimension by hiring the same contractor for both jobs.

» MORE: Compare quotes from local contractors.