A white exterior stays the safest resale color in the country because it reflects heat instead of absorbing it, it reads clean against any roof shade, and it never fights with the landscaping. That safety comes with a real decision, though: not every white behaves the same on siding. Ultra White from Valspar (7006-24, LRV 92) and Simply White from Benjamin Moore (OC-117, LRV 91) sit at the bright, near-true end of the range, which is why they show up so often on trim and on modern or coastal builds that want maximum contrast against black windows and doors.
Drop down a few points of LRV and the whites get warmer and easier to live with in strong sun. Alabaster from Sherwin-Williams (SW 7008, LRV 82) is the one homeowners search for most because it has a soft, greige-leaning warmth that keeps a big wall of siding from looking sterile or glary at noon. White Dove (Benjamin Moore OC-17, LRV 85), Decorator's White (Benjamin Moore OC-149, LRV 84), and Pure White (Sherwin-Williams SW 7005, LRV 84) all land in that same forgiving middle zone, which is why they're the picks people rarely regret five years later.
Siding is not trim, and the two jobs pull in different directions. Extra White (Sherwin-Williams SW 7006, LRV 86) and Polar Bear (Behr 75, LRV 86) read crisp and slightly cool, which is exactly what you want on fascia, columns, and window casings so they pop against a body color a shade or two warmer. Any of these eight are real, mixable paint-store colors, not a single house-wide default — the right one depends on how much direct sun the walls actually get and what's sitting next to them: brick, stone, a shingle roof, or black hardware.
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