Paint a Portland Home Exterior this Color – Sell for More

Those repainting the exterior of their home before putting it on the Portland real estate market would do well selecting something close to “greige”. At least, that’s what a new report by Zillow suggests.

Zillow’s mighty research arm reached into its archives to pull out 135,000 photos of homes that sold in the past year, according to the Methodology statement on the 2018 Paint Color Analysis. These photos revealed the ins and outs of home and wall colors for 32,000 houses across the country. Comparing sales price data for these homes revealed some interesting trends.

• First, the report showed that exterior color can positively impact the final sales price of a home. Holding all other variables (neighborhood, age of home, etc.) constant, Zillow found that homes painted a mixture of gray and beige – “greige” – sold for the most, and for $1,526 more than white.
• You could do worse than white. The analysis also concluded that homes painted brown (either medium brown, taupe, or stucco) were valued less overall: a whole $1,970 less, in fact.
• While they were judging the book by its cover, buyers also had color-specific preferences for the front door itself. Zillow found that homes with doors painted shades of navy blue to dark gray or charcoal earn a premium of $1,514.

So. You’re preparing your home for sale in Portland. Should you run to the nearest paint shop and stock up on the best-selling shade of greige?

Not so fast. Our real estate experience says that you’d be better off considering the following:

• Your home’s architectural style. Stately Victorians can show off in brighter colors like blue, yellow, and green. In Portland, craftsman-style bungalows are common, and usually look best in modest shades that complement their hardworking values. Try slate blue or forest green. Gray or beige is definitely appropriate for ranch homes, especially mid-century moderns.
  Click here to read our blog post on the architectural styles of Portland homes.
• Your neighborhood. If every house on the block is greige, do you want your home to fall into line, or stand out? If your neighborhood is a textbook example of Portland Weird, you’ll want to pick a color that looks good but still fits in.
• Your landscaping. A green home may not stand out in the forested Portland hills, yet painting it bright red might also be hard on the eyes. Consider the overall color pallet of your home’s interior and surroundings and choose an exterior paint color that complements it.
• Pale shades. Overall, real estate agents agree that lighter exterior paint colors are easier for home buyers to work with than darker ones. They can easily paint over them if they want to customize the look of the home. Personally, I’m not a fan of all the black painted homes these days, makes it difficult for the home buyer if they ever want to make a change.

Finally, the best way to pick a paint color for your Portland home is to not do it lightly. Talk to some experts, talk with your local interior designer, or look for a small shop that specializes in selling paint and take home some color samples. There are also tools online that let you upload a picture of your home and paint it virtually. Try CertaPro Virtual House Painter.

Need a second opinion? Ask one of our Top 1% Portland Listing Agents!