When it comes to selling a home for top dollar, paint is one of the first investments agents recommend. A fresh coat of paint can completely transform your home, give it new life, and bring a fresh feeling to even the oldest of homes! 

You may be wondering, how do I go about picking a color for my home? First, lets start off with the paint colors you want to avoid. Strong paint colors in a home such as red, yellow or (gasp) purple, come across as loud and chaotic when a prospective buyer is touring your home. Yes, that purple accent wall in your living room might be your favorite thing about your home, but to a home buyer, that wall is actually distracting them from the amazing features that your home has to offer. Give your potential buyers a neutral and not distracting backdrop in which to take in all of the details about your house, such as the lovely flooring, trim, or custom built-ins.

Lets talk about Undertones

While there are many factors to take into account while picking a color, one of the most important is undertones. You may pick out a white paint that seems to be a true neutral; but once you put it on your wall- you realize it has an eggshell blue tint to it! This is something that is easily looked over and misunderstood about white paint- there are SO many different shades! Based on the lighting in your home, direction your windows face, and the time of year; the paint on the walls in your home can exude a wide variety of tones. Paint that emits blues and greens have cool undertone, and paint that emits red, yellow, and orange colors have a warm undertone. 

Paints are made by mixing colors - the masstone or overtone is the “main” color you see, and undertone is the color that is mixed in. This is the hue that will show through subtly in changing light. 

Here are the top 5 colors we recommend when it comes to selling a house:

1. Alabaster, Sherwin Williams
   Alabaster by Sherwin Williams is a light, warm, off white. This is a great, safe white that works in darker rooms to bring a bright and airy feel to the space. The undertones in this white are very subtle, allowing it to give off a warm feeling without crossing the line into being yellow or beige. It was ranked the Sherwin Williams Color of the Year in 2016, and still continues to be one of the best selling colors.

2. White Dove, Benjamin Moore
A Benjamin Moore white classic! White Dove is perfect when you want a warm feel, but this shade still emits that creamy white color. It can have a slight yellow undertone, but in most areas with proper indoor lighting, will cast as a creamy warm white. This shade is perfect paired with warm cabinets, and wood floors.

3. Agreeable Gray, Sherwin Williams
When you don’t want to go white, but still want to have a neutral canvas in your home, go for this neutral gray by Sherwin Williams. Agreeable Gray is one of the most loved grays from Sherwin Williams. This gray has a hint of tan (otherwise known as greige) which is warm and more cool toned than beige. It looks great with white kitchen cabinets, warm floors and adds a unique design edge to any space. Keep in mind in darker rooms it can make them look darker so make sure there is great lighting, and natural sunlight in the areas of the home where you choose to use it.

4. Chantilly Lace, Benjamin Moore

A crisp, clean looking white with this can work well in modern and transitional surroundings. It can also look great on ceilings and trim. Its often a favorite because even though it has blue, grey as undertones it goes as a neutral, pure, white.

5. Extra White; Sherwin Williams - Best Whites for Trims, Ceilings

We want our trim to be bright and crisp to highlight our paint color, one suggestion is to (in most situations) avoid creamy whites for trim and choose a crisper, brighter white. It does depend of course on what paint color is on the walls but here are some go to trim favorites. Extra White by Sherwin Williams, Decorator’s White and Super White by Benjamin Moore are options for crisp and bright trims, ceilings and often cabinets.

We hope this guide helps you in your pursuit of finding the perfect neutral for your space! When in doubt, get a few samples of your favorite paint colors, and paint some swatches on your wall. Take note of how they appear throughout the day, and the mood that color evokes in you. There is no right answer when it comes to neutral; what matters is the one you feel brings your space that clean slate, feeling of calm, and blank canvas for you or potential buyers to layer favorite pieces into your home.

What are your favorite paint colors from this list? Let us know in the comments below!

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