According to a recent Forbes article, homes with front doors painted charcoal, smoky black, or rich jet black sell for $6,271 more than expected.

Paint colors matter.

So while you may find yourself either fascinated by or in love with smurf blue, lime green, or Pepto Bismal pink, you need to think about what would attract a buyer.

Sure, these colors stand out. You still don’t want them on your house if you plan on selling it anytime soon.

Among the tasks which improve your home for sale, consider changing your exterior paint color. Just a few hundred flips of a brush could make your home worth thousands of dollars more.

Keep reading to see the best exterior paint colors that will up the value of your home and make it even more sellable.

Seven Popular Exterior Paint Colors

Interior colors matter in your home. A tuxedo kitchen apparently has attracted more buyers, and light blue is taking over the bathroom trend. But if you cannot get buyers into your home, you’ll never have a chance to show off your wainscoted entryway or vaulted ceilings.

Consider the general hues of the colors and not just the blanket color itself.

Yellows

Lighter yellows such as wheat work well to attract buyers. Wheat looks almost buttery but not as bright as the sunflower yellow you want to avoid.

Wheat pairs nicely with a dark brown or gray-blue accents. With a wheat finish, your home will practically glow next to a well-kept lawn.

Pale shades of yellow brighten a neighborhood. Let’s face it: yellow houses, just look happy. If you opt for a shade a bit brighter than wheat, consider a crisp, white trim to contrast with it.

Blues

If you’re feeling blue, you don’t have to just keep it to the bathroom (considering homes with blue bathrooms sell for more).

Homes on the water especially do well with deep blue grays. These colors reflect the stormy ocean and create a nautical and serene feel. They also look fantastic with white trim to complement them.

If blue-gray is too stormy for you, consider light blue framed with blue-metal colored shutters and doors. This will create a brighter, calmer, happier feel to the home.

Somewhere in between light blue and stormy blue lies the vibrant blue belle, a bright blue that works well for a home framed with maritime past; lighter, brighter shade of blue than patriot blue

Pinks

Pink can work if you have the right shade. There’s the uber pale ugly pink and there’s the obnoxious island pink that works for those cute, cozy beachside cottages but not for luxury homes. Then there’s somewhere between.

If you’re set on pink, find a shade that’s not too bright and not too pale. Shades that fall into the “coral” category work best.

Gray Plus Brown Equals Greige

If you’re a warm, neutral person, you may appreciate a warm, neutral color such as the grays and browns of the palette.

Putty has currently come on board as a trendy exterior color. Picture a warm taupe with gray hues. This warm tone blends with natural surroundings and works well with stone pathways or retaining walls.

Taupe also has a natural tone to it. In particular, “Tony Taupe” is one of the most popular choices among neutral lovers.

If you’re really stuck on just browns, sable brown is always safe. You can make your home stand out if you pair your sable gray with red, blue, black, or white shutters.

If brown doesn’t quite tickle your fancy, then lean more toward gray. In particular, pair different tones of gray together such as Benjamin Moore Copley Gray (HC-104) trimmed with Benjamin Moore Elephant Tusk (OC-8).

Whites

White is making a comeback in the world of exterior paint. It carries that American iconic feel.

Just be aware of the different types of white out there.

You can use off-white, for example, paired with a cream-colored entryway and greige shutters.

Do not use the glossiest and brightest white out there. Instead, look or something with creamy yellow undertones (like Benjamin Moore Cloud White (967). Best of all, it complements just about any home.

Red

Stay away from barn red, but consider lighthouse red for a beachside home. It’s cheery, traditional, and fresh. And it pops out against the background despite the home’s surrounding

You can tuck a red house in amongst trees, and it will pop out, or you can put it in the midst of a clean landscape which just makes the sky look even broader.

Greens

Typically green is a neutral color outside. You want to stay away from painting your home the same color as the shrubs.

But Cyprus green, which is a cross between green and gray, works well. It is a neutral color but not boring, and it works well with dark gray and black shutters.

Don’t Forget the Trim

Your exterior color can sell your home and make it even more valuable. The trim work that you choose to frame those colors matters just as much as the main color itself.

Consider the look of mellow yellow with turquoise door and benches outside. The contrasting colors will make the ocean behind them just spark.

If you opt for a white home, consider a turquoise punch of color with the shutters and door.

If powder blue turns the eyes in your neighborhood, then pair it with crisp trim. These two colors will create a clean and peaceful look.

As you look at colors, consider what pairings would frame your exterior nicely. Think about your window trim, your shutters, and your door.

Colors to Avoid

Now that you know what colors attract buyers, you should also know what colors detract buyers.

Foreboding black may look like a cool color when you begin your exterior paint search, but in the end, it will look like something out of an Edgar Allen Poe story.

Green can work, but only if it doesn’t match your shrubs. Keep your greens more on the gray or brown side and less on the “just like your tree” color.

Island colors look pretty cool on little beach bungalows or cottages. A lime green cottage, after all, is quaint. A lime green luxury home is weird.

Stay away from all of the bright greens.

Keep an arm’s length away from the bright yellows as well. Lemony or sunflower yellow do not work well on large homes, or any home for that matter.

Know Your Shade

Not all exterior paint colors work well on your home. Finding the right shade of blue or green or yellow can mean thousands of dollars difference in the sale of your home.

Who knew exterior paint colors mattered so much!

Contact us for all your real estate needs in the Sarasota area.