The Best (and Worst) Paint Color for Adding Value to Your Home, According to Zillow

Specific colors can affect our mood, attention, appetite, and energy levels—and whether or not we want to buy a home.

Real estate platform Zillow just dropped its 2026 Paint Color Analysis, which breaks down the shades that are catching the eye of home buyers—or turning them away—to help sellers score the highest offer.

The research was conducted by Zillow's behavioral science team, which surveyed more than 4,400 recent and prospective home buyers around the country. In the study, buyers were randomly assigned images of a home with interior spaces painted in one of 11 colors. Each color got a score based on how much buyers liked the home, how interested they were in buying it, their likelihood of touring it, and the price they would be willing to pay for it.

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This year's analysis found that warm, nature-inspired tones over all-white walls drive higher offers. For example, a warm chocolate brown bedroom can add nearly $2,300 to a home's offer price. It's the highest-value interior color choice in this year's study.

"White will always be a timeless, versatile choice, but sellers who default to all-white walls everywhere may be leaving money on the table," said Amanda Pendleton, Zillow's home trends expert. "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. The right colors can stop a shopper mid-scroll and instantly create an emotional connection, which ultimately drives higher offers. If a seller were to repaint the top-performing color in each room, they could add more than $5,000 to their bottom line.”

Zillow also discovered that one trendy color can wipe out $18,000 in home value. Ochre yellow is the single worst color a seller can paint their interior walls and may shave an estimated $18,164 off a home's offer price when painted in the kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom. When painted in the kitchen alone, this shade of dark gold could reduce offers by $6,630.