When preparing to sell your home, you’re likely bombarded with tips on how to make your property more appealing to buyers. From staging techniques to decluttering rules, there’s no shortage of advice. One topic that consistently comes up is paint color. The shades you use throughout your home, whether in the living room, bedrooms, or on the exterior, can significantly impact potential buyers’ impressions. Real estate professionals emphasize the importance of paint color, but how crucial is it to repaint your beloved pink bedroom a neutral white to attract buyers? Do you really need to strip away your floral wallpaper or change your deep blue accent wall just to sell your home?
To get a clearer perspective, several real estate agents and interior design experts have shared insights on which paint colors can be deal-breakers for buyers. Across the board, intense shades—bright, deep, and dark—were the most problematic.
Deep Purple
Purple has been having a moment in the design world. PPG’s 2025 Color of the Year, Purple Basil, is a deep, rich shade with an eggplant tone. Additionally, Worth Global Style Network (WGSN) predicted that the 2025 Pantone Color of the Year might be Future Dusk, another purple hue. Even with its trendiness, experts caution against using purple when staging your home for sale.
Nikki Beauchamp, an associate broker at Sotheby’s in New York City, mentions, “My buyers will often nearly shut down at the thought of any deep red, blue, or purple colors. The shades are so visually overpowering that it becomes hard for them to picture the space as a blank canvas.” Similarly, Anna Tatsioni, a lead interior designer and architect at Decorilla, recalls, “We once helped stage a home where the master bedroom was painted a rich eggplant shade. Despite the homeowner’s love for it, potential buyers couldn’t see past the color, and many immediately lost interest.”
Black
Black is a dramatic, stylish color that has become more popular in modern homes. However, it’s also quite polarizing. According to Heather T. Roy and Learka Bosnak, real estate agents with Douglas Elliman, “Black can be seen as the opposite of possibility. While whites and light neutrals represent openness and potential, black signifies finality. When shopping for a home, buyers want to feel that there are endless possibilities rather than a space that is already defined.”
They added, “We recently toured a charming house with a client who was too distracted by the bold paint color and wallpaper choices to focus on anything else. While splashes of color can be great, it felt like the homeowner was telling a loud story without being there. This put off the buyer, especially since the home was marketed as ‘designer done,’ which would mean paying extra for décor they didn’t like.”
Neon Green
Neon green, the vibrant, intense shade often associated with summer trends, is a color that can quickly turn buyers away. Tatsioni notes, “I once toured a home with a client who was very excited, but when we entered the living room painted in a bright lime green, my client visibly recoiled. She felt ‘on edge’ and ‘anxious,’ and despite the home’s other great features, she decided not to pursue it.
Architect Matthew Coates adds, “Bright, neon colors, especially orange or green, are a no-go. While these hues are just paint and easy to change, buyers can’t see past them. They’re overwhelming, and it’s difficult to imagine living with such bold colors.”
Red
Like purple and black, red is a striking and dramatic shade. Behr’s 2025 Color of the Year, Rumors, is a deep, earthy red that’s gaining popularity. However, red can be off-putting to many buyers. Haley Bartlett, a licensed Realtor in Northern Colorado, explains, “Even though reds have come and gone in the trend cycle, buyers often find bright red too much to handle. It’s visually overpowering and hard to paint over, making it less appealing for buyers who want to avoid the extra work.”
Beauchamp echoes this sentiment, emphasizing that “red can be overpowering.”
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, the color you choose for your home is a personal decision. If you love having an all-black or neon green house, that’s your choice. However, if you’re planning to sell, consider how your color choices might impact potential buyers. While intense colors can be trendy and reflect your personal style, they may not appeal to everyone. To make your home more marketable, consider repainting in neutral shades, and if bold colors are a sticking point for buyers, offering a repainting concession can be a simple solution.
