The 4 Best Exterior Paint Colors for Selling a House

When it comes to selecting the best exterior paint colors for selling a house, the pressure can feel pretty overwhelming. As soon as you start gathering up swatches, it can feel like a psychological test. Which colors will appeal to buyers? Which colors will make them turn their car around and leave? Is beige too boring? Is navy too bold? 

We’ve compiled four of the most popular colors for selling a house to help you narrow down your choices and take the anxiety out of getting it right. Our selections are based on recommendations from realtors, designers and, of course, our own two decades of experience helping people get their homes ready to sell with fresh paint..  

Top Exterior Paint Shades for Home Sales

SW 7036 Accessible Beige

With “accessible” right there in the name, it’s no surprise that this welcoming neutral has consistently made Sherwin-Williams’ Top 50 Exterior Colors list year after year. It’s made plenty of other lists, too. It has consistently ranked in the top 10 most popular neutrals chosen by AMC Painting customers, as well as the top 10 most popular body colors. Magazines like Southern Living and websites like Realtor.com also love the benefits of this natural earth tone. 

Accessible Beige is soft and warm with undertones of gray that give it a welcoming, comfortable aesthetic. The natural earth tones play well in any environment, making it just as fitting in the Colorado Rockies as it is in the deserts of Arizona. It fits in most neighborhoods and is often a favorite for HOAs because it works so seamlessly with other palettes in the community. Accessible Beige also looks great on stucco — which has remained a very popular siding choice in dry, mild climates. 

SW 0055 Light French Gray

Gray is a sophisticated neutral that creates an upscale feel when you select the right hue. We chose SW 0055 Light French Gray for several different reasons. First, the color belongs to a special historic collection developed by Sherwin-Williams to capture the originals used for centuries. The color is listed under the “Classics,” colors used in the 1800s-1860s and the top 50 most-used colors. Talk about timeless! 

It’s worth nothing that Light French Gray is just as pretty indoors as it is out and it is very popular for creating airy, open spaces inside the home. Outside, the hue keeps the home looking fresh, clean and modern. Paired with a bright white trim or a well-executed navy blue, you’ll create a very appealing prospect for showings. Like Accessible Beige, Light French Gray tends to work well in almost any community and across multiple architectural styles.

SW 7029 Agreeable Gray

While it is defined as a shade of gray by the manufacturer, Agreeable Gray really fits better under the more popular “greige” moniker. It happens to be one of the best examples of a gray-meets-beige color. The blend of soft gray luminosity and gentle beige undertones creates a feeling of warmth to attract  potential buyers checking out your home from the outside. There’s a reason it’s Sherwin-Williams’ bestselling color and on this list of best exterior paint colors for selling your home!

Agreeable Grey is a great complement to most architecture, landscape and decor. It’s a wonderful shade for stucco — especially for people who want a gray color, but don’t want the stucco to look like cement. This is another color that also looks just as good inside as outside. You will love it if you plan to stage your home because it brings that same warmth, glow and flexibility to your interior walls, too. 

SW 7008 Alabaster White

It’s been a Color of the Month, a Color of the Year and it is extremely popular on interior design blogs, design shows and in magazines. Alabaster White is definitely a beloved favorite for those looking for the bright-but-neutral look for home exteriors. What sets this white apart is its warmth. Stark whites can feel institutional and cold — not the impression you want to give a potential buyer. Alabaster White is just enough of an off-white to dial down the clinical feel and turn up the charm. 

This particular white works excellently for several different styles of architecture. Many homeowners choose to contrast it with a darker trim, such as SW 7048 Urbane Bronze or  SW 7069 Iron Ore. You can also utilize grays or even other white paints to get a completely cohesive look that will feel like a canvas to future homeowners who want to add their own touches. The light reflective value of this paint also makes it a good choice for homes in shady areas, so it’s definitely worth considering if you’re in a forested area or are surrounded by taller buildings and you want buyers to see your home stand out. 

Things to Consider When Selecting an Exterior Paint Color:

Longevity: Can your chosen color withstand the test of time? Your prospective buyer will be wondering the same thing. Pick colors that are classic and timeless so your buyer doesn’t see another bill looming after the sale. Avoid bold, brash or super trendy exterior paint colors. 

Surroundings: Does your selected color work in the bigger picture? Some colors can cause your home to get “lost” in the background. Others can make your home clash. Find the balance that makes your home look, well, at home, in the natural world without making it disappear. Consider things like how many hours your home sits in the sun, or how often it’s in the shade. Sherwin-Williams makes extra large, stick-on paint swatches you can use to live with your selected color for a while.   

Community Aesthetic: While the advice is to lean into more neutral shades, there are exceptions. If every house on your block is a colorful Victorian, a quiet brown might stand out in all the wrong ways. Your exteriors don’t need to be identical to the neighbors, but it does look better to buyers if your home doesn’t look like it was trucked in from another community. 

Make Your Home Buyer-Friendly with Thoughtful Color Selection

Repainting your home before a sale can really improve your chances of selling your home — especially if you pick timeless colors that will make your buyer feel at home from day one. Use these exact picks or make them an inspiring foundation for your own unique palette. 

AMC Painting offers complimentary estimates for all painting projects. If you’re planning to sell your home and you are considering painting it first, give us a call at the number listed on our website.