- Zillow’s 2026 Paint Color Analysis report confirms that a chocolate brown bedroom can add $2,277 to a home’s offer price.
- Sage green is another popular pick, with Zillow sharing that buyers like this particular shade for just about any room.
- Zillow also discovered that ochre yellow is a turn-off for buyers and can take up to $18,164 off of a property’s value.
It’s no secret that a fresh coat of paint is one of the easiest ways to get your home ready for sale. But picking the perfect hue is far from easy, since you have to consider factors like a room’s size, amount of natural light, and furnishings. Thankfully, some surprising new findings are available to give paint shoppers more direction.
Zillow surveyed 4,400 recent and prospective homebuyers for its 2026 Paint Color Analysis report and revealed that chocolate brown can add $2,277 to a home’s offer price. Why is this particular nature-inspired hue making a comeback? Amanda Pendleton, Zillow’s home trends expert, says it’s simply a sign of the times.
“Chocolate brown is grounding in a way that few colors are, and it sits at the intersection of two big design movements: the resurgence of earth tones and the organic modernism trend that has buyers gravitating toward natural materials like wood, stone, and linen, Pendleton says of the calming hue.
Emily Kantz, a color marketing manager and lead on the Trendsight Team at Sherwin-Williams, agrees, sharing that chocolate brown adds “depth and warmth, creating a cozy, cocooning effect that makes bedrooms feel more luxurious and inviting.”
Along with brown, sage green is also growing in popularity and can yield higher offers, according to Zillow. Buyers believe it’s one of the most versatile paint colors out there, as it adds visual appeal to any room in need of an upgrade. Zillow found that when a bedroom is decked out in the shade, it can add more than $1,000 to the offer price. Additionally, when it’s used in a living room, it can boost the home’s price by nearly $500.
“It has enough personality to make a space feel intentional, but it’s subtle enough that buyers don’t feel like they’re inheriting someone else’s taste,” Pendleton says. “It also plays well with almost every material and finish a home might already have, which is probably why it’s the only color in our study to rank in the top tier across every single room. It just doesn’t have a room where it fails.”
For the kitchen, charcoal gray and plum came out on top in Zillow’s report; offers can increase by $1,373 and $867 respectively. It makes sense since more and more homeowners are ditching stark white kitchens and embracing moody hues that make a statement.
And there’s one final takeaway from Zillow’s research: ochre yellow is a huge no-no if you intend to sell your home. It’s best to keep this paint shade away from walls and out of high-traffic spaces like the kitchen, bathroom, and living room (Zillow found that it can take $18,164 off a home’s offer price).
“High-saturation colors like ochre yellow can be polarizing,” Pendleton says. “If it doesn’t reflect that buyer’s personal taste, they might wonder what else in the home is not up to their standards.”
Monique Valeris is the home design director for Good Housekeeping, where she oversees the brand’s home decorating coverage across print and digital. Prior to joining GH in 2020, she was the digital editor at Elle Decor. In her current role, she explores everything from design trends and home tours to lifestyle product recommendations, including writing her monthly column, “What’s in My Cart.”
Source: Home Ideas - goodhousekeeping.com
