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Auburn Homes for Sale: Brick or Painted Brick?

By Laura Sellers

Real Estate Agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Preferred Real Estate, Inc

August 12, 2026 03:49 AM

Auburn Homes for Sale: Brick or Painted Brick?

When comparing Auburn homes for sale, would you choose classic brick or painted brick?

Traditional brick offers timeless color, texture, and relatively low exterior maintenance. Painted brick can give an older home a dramatic update and create the lighter, cleaner appearance many buyers love.

But there is one important difference: once brick is painted, you have added paint maintenance to a material that originally did not require it.

In other words, painted brick may be beautiful—but it is not a maintenance-free magic trick.

Auburn Homes for Sale: Which Brick Exterior Wins?

Curb appeal matters. The exterior is usually the first thing buyers see online and the first thing they experience when arriving for a showing.

Traditional brick can make a home feel established, durable, and timeless. Painted brick can make the same architectural style appear brighter, fresher, or more contemporary.

Here is a quick comparison:

Feature	Traditional Brick	Painted Brick
Appearance	Natural color and texture	Updated or customized color
Maintenance	Generally requires less finish maintenance	May eventually require cleaning, repair, or repainting
Design flexibility	Color is difficult to change	Exterior color can be changed again
Weathering	Natural variations may be less noticeable	Peeling, fading, stains, and touch-ups may be more visible
Reversibility	Can usually be painted later	Returning to natural brick may be difficult
Buyer appeal	Attractive to buyers who prefer classic materials	Attractive to buyers who prefer a lighter or updated look
Inspection concerns	Mortar, cracks, drainage, and previous repairs	Those concerns plus paint condition and surface preparation

Neither option is universally better. The home’s condition, architectural style, workmanship, maintenance history, and your personal taste all matter.

Why Buyers Choose Traditional Brick

Classic brick has survived decades of design trends for a reason. It usually does not wake up one morning and decide it is no longer fashionable.

Potential advantages include:

Natural color and texture
No exterior paint color to maintain
A traditional appearance
Compatibility with many architectural styles
Less-visible minor weathering
The option to paint it later
Established curb appeal

Traditional brick still requires inspection and maintenance. Mortar joints can deteriorate, cracks can develop, drainage can cause staining, and previous repairs may be visible.

“Low maintenance” does not mean “ignore it forever.”

Why Buyers Love Painted Brick

Painted brick can completely change a home’s appearance.

White, cream, gray, charcoal, and other exterior colors can make an older house feel updated without changing its basic architecture. Painted brick can also highlight shutters, doors, trim, landscaping, and rooflines.

Potential benefits include:

A brighter exterior
Updated curb appeal
Greater color flexibility
A more uniform appearance
The ability to coordinate exterior features
Coverage of unattractive or mismatched brick colors
A dramatic transformation without replacing the brick

Painted brick may especially appeal to buyers who love a clean, modern Southern exterior.

Of course, white painted brick also has a talent for displaying red clay, mildew, splash marks, and whatever else Alabama weather throws at it. Pretty sometimes comes with chores.

The Maintenance Difference

The biggest practical difference is the finish.

Unpainted brick is a natural masonry surface. Painted brick has an applied coating that may eventually fade, peel, blister, chalk, stain, or require repainting.

Maintenance needs depend on:

The brick’s original condition
How the surface was prepared
The type of coating used
Quality of application
Sun exposure
Moisture and drainage
Landscaping near the walls
Previous repairs
Age of the paint

A properly prepared and coated exterior may perform well for years. Poor preparation or trapped moisture may lead to problems much sooner.

Before buying, ask when the brick was painted, who completed the work, what product was used, and whether records or warranties are available.

Paint Is Not the Only Brick Finish

Not every lightened brick exterior is covered with traditional paint.

Other treatments may include:

Limewash
Mineral-based coatings
Masonry stain
German schmear
Whitewash
Partial paint or accent treatments

These finishes do not all perform or age the same way. Some penetrate the masonry, while others create a surface coating. Some intentionally allow variations in the brick to remain visible.

Do not assume every white brick house received the same treatment. Ask what was applied before deciding how it should be maintained or changed.

Find an Auburn Home With the Right Curb Appeal

Whether you prefer timeless natural brick or the updated look of painted brick, I can help you compare Auburn homes for sale and look beyond the exterior photographs.

Laura Sellers is an Auburn University alumna who has lived in the Auburn–Opelika area since 1988. She has been a REALTOR® for more than 20 years and is an Associate Broker with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Preferred Real Estate, the Official Real Estate Partner of the Auburn Tigers.