Best Paint Colors to Sell a House for More Money in 2026

When you’re selling your house, the color you paint your walls could not only affect a buyer’s interest in your home, but how much they’re willing to pay for it. And buyers may offer as much as $2,277 more for homes with the right interior paint colors, according to new Zillow research. 

Choosing the right paint color can feel like a big decision in any situation, and even more so when you’re balancing a full seller to-do list. That’s why we teamed up with Sherwin-Williams to bring you this year’s tried-and-true paint colors buyers are loving.

Zillow has pinpointed the exact shades that can help maximize offer prices by doing research with thousands of home buyers across the country to determine the colors that are the most desirable in the living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom, and how different interior paint colors impacted a buyer’s interest in a home, their likelihood to tour a home, and the price they would be willing to offer. Here’s what we found:

Colors that can boost your sale price

The color of your walls is going to be one of the first things buyers notice when they walk into your home. It sets the tone for the furnishings and fixtures and how a shopper feels.

Of all the colors analyzed in this study across various parts of the home, sage green was the only shade to rank in the top tier in every room. This earthy hue is the safest bet for sellers looking to maximize their home’s value. Sage green bedrooms could add more than $1,000 to offer prices, while the color in living rooms was associated with offers that are nearly $500 higher.

“Greens continue to be seen as a modern neutral; sage is calming and nature-inspired bringing that dose of versatility to the bedroom without feeling plain,” said Emily Kantz, Color Marketing Manager & Trendsight Team member at Sherwin-Williams.

Kantz said the findings reflect a broader shift in buyer preferences toward colors with more personality and variety. 

“Giving your home some personality by using a color that has depth is driving measurable return on investment,” Kantz said. “I’ve been seeing that a lot lately when it comes to design — playing it safe is riskier than experimenting with color and design.”

That trend showed up throughout Zillow's 2026 Paint Color Analysis, which found that today's buyers prefer warm, grounded colors over stark, all-white interiors. According to Zillow’s home trends expert Amanda Pendleton, defaulting to all-white walls could leave money on the table when it’s time to sell.

"Buyers today respond to homes with soul, and paint is one of the easiest, most affordable ways to add personality and character to a space,” Pendleton said. “The right colors can stop an online home shopper mid-scroll and instantly create an emotional connection, which ultimately drives higher offers."

Let’s look at which colors performed the best in each room of the home:

The living room: pale blue 

The living room is your place to unwind and feel cozy, and while you might be inclined to gravitate towards something like a light beige, a pale blue — like Sherwin-Williams Tradewind — can be an exceptional shade in this space. In fact, this color was the top performer for this room, and it can generate offers that are an estimated $1,723 higher than a white living room. 

“Tradewind introduces softness and airiness to the space while still feeling intentional, offering a fresh alternative to white that enhances a sense of openness without sacrificing personality,” Kantz said.

Similar pale blue shades to Tradewind include Sherwin-Williams Upward and Open Air:

Tradewind SW 6218, Upward SW 6239, Open Air SW 6491

Other top performing colors for the living room include:

• Peppercorn (dark grey): Another strong choice which has remained popular for three years and could boost an offer price by $1,509.
• Liveable Green (sage green): A buyer favorite in this space too. Liveable green in a living room could add $471 to a home’s offer price.

The kitchen: charcoal gray

The kitchen is where bold choices pay off. Buyers respond well to colors that feel elevated and intentional. According to Zillow research, charcoal gray has the potential to boost a buyer’s offer price by nearly $1,373 when used in the kitchen.

In particular, Sherwin-Williams Peppercorn is the clear standout. Kantz said this color adds bold sophistication and offers rooms a polished, high-design look.

Here are some charcoal gray shades from Sherwin-Williams that you might like for your own kitchen:

Peppercorn SW 7674, Iron Ore SW 7069, Grizzle Gray SW 7068

The red-violet Sherwin-Williams shade Expressive Plum also did well in our study. This color could bring in offers about $867 higher than white kitchens.

Expressive Plum SW 6271, plus similar shades Plum Brown SW 6272, Rojo Marrón SW 9182

The bedroom: chocolate brown

The bedroom is where buyers picture themselves winding down. Calming, grounded shades work best — especially warm, chocolate browns. Turkish Coffee, for example, was the top-performing color in this space. Buyers may offer an estimated $2,277 more than they would for a white room. 

“Turkish Coffee adds depth and warmth, creating a cozy, cocooning effect that makes the bedroom feel more luxurious and inviting,” Kantz said. 

Sherwin-Williams offers various shades of warm browns that could be the right fit for your restful sanctuary: 

Turkish Coffee SW 6076, Sable SW 6083, Clove SW 9605

Warm brown isn’t the only color that buyers like in the bedroom:

• Liveable Green (sage green): This is a consistently popular choice that could generate offers around $1,035 more than if the room was white.
• Tradewind (pale blue): This fresh, calming option could encourage buyers to offer $839 more.

After repainting your bedroom, you can take things a step further by staging your bedroom; declutter, depersonalize, make the bed with crisp white linens, and incorporate throw pillows before listing your home for sale.

The bathroom: sage green

Buyers approach the bathroom with a critical eye. Simple, clean colors that signal a well-maintained space perform very well. Shades of sage green seem to be fan favorites. Sherwin-Williams Livable Green is a great example: it ranked highest overall in the bathroom, winning high interest from buyers as well as strong tour intentions.

Liveable Green SW 6176, Clary Sage SW 6178, Sage Green Light SW 2851

Note that while not associated with a price premium, sage green can get buyers through the door and help you make the sale. These colors can achieve that, too:

• Pure White: A classic that consistently performs well in terms of attracting prospective buyers.
• Peppercorn (dark grey): A strong choice that generated high buyer interest.

When it comes to the home as a whole, Kantz said buyers are shifting away from cool, light neutrals and stark whites and more towards warmer, deeper and more expressive hues that act as modern neutrals with more personality. 

“Calming shades like sage and pale blue show that even lighter colors are evolving, feeling more intentional and nuanced rather than basic,” she said. “The data reflects this same direction; that home-buyers are increasingly valuing depth, warmth, and that sense of lived-in character.”

What colors should sellers avoid?

Bright, trendy, playful colors may be fun, but if you’re preparing to sell your home, know that having them in your listing photos may narrow your pool of buyers. The data shows that some colors are strongly preferred over others and can impact how much people were willing to offer. 

Such is the case for ochre yellow (a brownish yellow), bold red, and blush pink. These three stood out as the most consistent underperformers across all four rooms. 

Ochre yellow in particular ranked at or near the bottom for offer price, buyer interest, and tour intentions for every room in our study. A bold red bathroom could have offers come in about $7,971 lower than if the room was white — the single largest impact we found in any room for any color. Meanwhile, a blush pink bathroom could get you about $6,013 less.

But remember that this is your home! If you love these colors and you want them in your favorite spaces, don’t let the numbers stop you. While the data says one thing, your heart might say another. Pendleton said the best part of homeownership is that you can customize your space to match whatever way makes you happy. And you can always repaint it later anyways.

“If an ochre yellow kitchen brings you joy, embrace it!” she said. “There will be some buyers who will love your yellow kitchen as much as you do. But getting top dollar for your home is all about appealing to the most potential buyers. So enjoy your ochre kitchen and when it’s time to sell, paint it charcoal gray or plum.”

Should I paint my house before selling it?

Yes, you may have to paint your walls before you list your home. New paint is a fast and affordable way to make your place look newer, cleaner, and better maintained. Dirty or scuffed paint on the walls or trim may hurt your home’s resale value.

It’s not just the condition of the paint on your walls that affects your home value. Even if your painted surfaces are in pristine condition, you should consider repainting the walls before putting your house on the market. Nearly one-third of all homeowners paint their home before listing it for sale, according to the Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report.

Does painting increase home value?

Yes, painting can increase your home’s value. Painting a home is one of the many things you can do to make it more appealing to prospective buyers — especially if you use the right colors.

If you want to test a color in your home before you commit, you can order Peel & Stick samples, Color to Go® paint samples or FREE color chips from Sherwin-Williams at swsamples.com so you can find the perfect shade to sell your home.

Making the right choice for your home

Paint color is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to selling your home. But it's one of the most affordable updates you can make. And our research shows it can have a real impact on how buyers respond and what they're willing to offer.

The best colors that tend to help buyers imagine themselves at home are grounded, welcoming, and free of strong personal taste. 

When you're ready to take the next step in your selling journey, connect with a local Zillow partner agent. They can help you learn more about what buyers in your specific market are looking for and guide you through the selling process.