The One Front Door Color That Can Make It More Difficult To Sell Your Home

As they say, you only get one chance to make a first impression, and the expression most definitely applies to selling your home. The immediate judgment formed by potential buyers comes from your home's exterior, and, if negative, can be challenging to change. That's why it's no surprise that those initial impressions can actually translate into resale price for you. Great curb appeal can lead to an offer that is not only 7 to 10% higher, but also at a quicker rate than those with a lackluster exterior.

But saying "curb appeal" sounds vague. So, what tangible things can you do to really make a significant impact on your home's resale value? A well-maintained exterior is essential for making a positive first impression, including landscaping, hardscaping (like walkways and driveways), and even lighting. However, one of the other main components is the entry area, most notably the front door. In fact, according to a 2021 survey by Zillow Group, buyer feedback indicates it's worth taking the time to pick the perfect front door color to boost your home's curb appeal, and therefore the resale value, when it comes time to sell. While some front door colors scored high or were valued higher in terms of what potential buyers were willing to pay for a home, such as slate blue-gray and black, others had the opposite effect. So what color did the surveyed potential and actual buyers say they valued the least? The hue that had the biggest financial impact on the perception of how much they valued a home based on door color was pale pink. Let's dive into why this color scored the lowest and how much it is predicted to make a dent in your resale value.

In general, pink doors can be polarizing, with some finding them charming and others not so much. While historical properties or those in beachside towns tend to be able to pull off more colorful, quaint color schemes, including softer pink tones and other pastels, the widespread tolerance for pink exterior paint is all across the map. Some Zillow study participants said houses with pale pink doors looked shabby, and yet, countless publications over the past years have dubbed pink a gorgeous paint choice for home exteriors, including our round-up of 9 exterior house colors that'll inspire you to pick up a paintbrush. And though it has a long and rich history (case in point, Jaipur's famously pink walls from the 1800s or the rose-colored sandstone walls of the ancient city of Marrakesh), many see pink as an outdated millennial trend. Still others read it as overly feminine, despite pink being a color with strong historical roots as a masculine shade until the 1940s. 

Regardless of why a particular buyer may not connect with a pale pink door, the Zillow Group survey results were indisputable: Potential or actual buyers were willing to pay a whopping $6,516 less than expected, on average. That's an incredible difference, considering the average price to paint a front door is only a couple of hundred dollars. Despite rational math, though, one thing is clear from the survey: Pink evokes a response in people, and it's not always good.

So, if you're listing your home for sale anytime soon and have a pale pink door, perhaps it is worth shelling out $200 for a paint job to avoid ending up with an offer thousands of dollars less than expected, thanks to an adverse reaction to this rosy hue.