February is for hearts, and we'll be seeing a lot of red this month, sparking in us what color science says are emotions like passion, love, excitement — just the ticket for Valentine's Day.
But maybe not exactly right for your home sale!
A coat of paint is one of the best ways enhance your home's appeal. In fact, some agents say paint color accounts for 60 percent or even more of a buyer's reaction to a room or house. With that much emotion at stake, you want to choose well and not inadvertently erode the price of the home.
While red might be the perfect color for a Valentine's box of chocolate, it's almost never appropriate for a home ready for sale. Even the best red accent walls can turn off buyers and erode prices. After all, a buyer wants to see a canvas on which they can paint their own life.
A 2024 poll of interior designers by Fixr found that 59 percent agreed red was a turnoff to buyers, followed closely by green, and yellow.
Instead of bright color on the walls, designers recommend adding color with accessories: green plants can add a feeling of tranquility to living rooms, a blue ceramic pot may add a feeling of calm and trust to a bedroom.
But the traditional advice to sellers remains the same: Paint in neutral colors. That doesn't mean bright white, however. Bright whites can feel sterile and cold inside, but can be the best color outside. According to Curbio, a white house is the easiest to sell, a red one the hardest.