Well, buttery yellow can be quite wonderful--upbeat and light-giving. Some Realtors are still stuck in Builder White mode, as we were in it for so long. If your buttery yellow is similar to Restoration Hardware's "Butter" or Benjamin Moore's Montgomery White (really a light yellow) or Linen, or Sherwin Williams "Blonde" or "Ivoire", you're probably O.K. for a fair number of buyers. You may want to get a few more opinions and/or monitor initial buyer feedback carefully. Various beiges and taupes can be classic, go with most peoples things and rarely lose a sale. They can be boring or rich and soothing, just depending. Try not to fret too much whichever way you go--your home sounds very family-friendly and inviting.

When I was in art school we studied color a lot. You have to be careful using yellow. It evokes emotions in people...think about yellow taxi cabs or yellow school buses. Or yellow fast food restaurant interior colors. Fast food restaurants choose yellow because they want people to eat quickly & get out for fast table turnaround times. Yellow gets our attention & is the first color we see. These uses are because yellow can cause people to feel anxious. Studies show babies, for instance, cry more in a yellow room. Yellow also reflects off some people's skin making them appear jaundiced. Those people usually have strong negative feelings about anything yellow.

Some yellows can evoke feelings of sunshine, brightness, etc. but you have to choose very carefully. Too light & it looks dingy & dirty...too bright & human tensions rise.

I'd repaint rather than risk negative feelings in potential buyers. Yellow raises metabollic rates; hence, tension. I wouldn't want to risk having my choice of yellow paint be the reason Mr./Mrs. Home Buyer decided to have a big fight while touring my house or the kiddos having a meltdown. :)

Here's just one link discussing the effects of color. If you Google, "effect of color yellow on people" you'll get many hits.

/tricia

Here is a link that might be useful: Effect of yellow on people's emotions

Depending on the yellow I would probably paint over it, but that would be ok with me. Wall color will not stop me from buying a house.
I think if your walls are in good shape and the walls and house are clean etc. etc. that goes much further with buyers.
However if you want to go the extra mile go with something more neutral. People might not like neutral but they might feel its easier to live with till they have time to change it instead of hoping that a buyer comes along that loves the exact same color you have on the walls now.

There is yellow as in buttercream and then there is Crayola yellow. What name or number is on the paint can, and what brand of paint did you use? With that information, we are in a better position to give an opinion.

How much of the house is painted this color?

Pictures would be even better.

The rooms that are yellow are the main entry into the house, kitchen, dining room, living room hallway and then the master bedroom is a lightest shade from the same color card.

I did a color match on the paint color. I liked a color I had found at Wal-Mart a few years ago, but I didn't want their paint. For comparison, I took out a stick of real butter and a container of Smart Balance spread. My color is not as bright yellow as those two comparisons, but it does have that 'butter' color. I'm getting ready to leave out the door for a week so I can't post pictures right now.

I've been thinking of my plan of attack for redoing the house. I think I'll just start with the pink and blue rooms and just find a vanilla color that is not white, but compliments the yellow. I'm also ditching dh's fluorescent light bulbs and putting in in soft white. I think that may tone it down a little. I have to redo all of the white trim in the house so I'll do that first. I'll get to the already yellow rooms as I have time.