Improving Your Home's Curb Appeal

The other day we were talking to a client we had shown many listings to. She was unsure about the ones she had seen so we gave her a new list of homes we thought she would like and she looked it over that night. The next day she gave us a list of homes she’d like to see and said there was one she couldn’t wait to get into. We asked which one and her reply was, “The one with the mad curb appeal!”. Hmm. Not the bedrooms big enough to play football in, the Carnegie Hall-like media room, the in-ground pool that would hold a yacht, or the kitchen that would make Rachel Ray envious, but the curb appeal—in other words, the first visual impression of the condition of the house and grounds she got when she saw the exterior picture. Is curb appeal that important to the home-buying decision? You bet it is, and you don’t get a second chance to create that impression so give those buyers reasons to come inside by following these simple guidelines.

As time goes by, we become accustomed to how our home looks and feels, even grow to love the place, and therefore might tend to overlook its faults, no matter how glaring they might be. This emotional familiarity makes it very difficult to see our home in the same light as a prospective buyer. As hard as it may be, we have to make a conscious decision to stop thinking of the property as a home and start thinking of it as simply a house—a product you want to sell (and hope someone will buy) for top dollar in the shortest time possible.

Try This…

Look at your house through the eyes of a potential buyer, as though you were interested in buying it, and answer these questions:

1. How do you feel upon first see the house and grounds? Are they pleasing to the eye and soothing to the senses?

2. What features do you like best, and can they be improved?

3. Is there anything you dislike about the house? If so, can it be easily corrected?

4. Is the driveway clean and clear of obstructions? What could be done to “wow” a prospective buyer?

Make a list of the potential problem areas. Do the easy clean up and repair chores first, then tackle the harder projects that will pay bigger dividends. Here are some things to consider:

• Give all windows and gutters a thorough cleaning. Streaky windows and "mini trees" growing in gutters is an instant turn-off!
• Store any garden implements and tools that might be lying about. Potential safety hazards should be eliminated.
• Make sure all trees adjacent to the house are trimmed back, not only so the house is more visible, but to prevent animal and insect infestations, as well.
• Give grimy siding and decks a good power washing or paint, as needed, but be careful of damaging the siding.
• Remove vegetation growing in cracks of pavement or sidewalks. A little weed killer, please!
• Have driveways resealed or repaved to eliminate cracks, holes and broken areas.
• Get rid of fallen leaves. Duh!
• Mow the lawn, edge the walkways, and weed the garden. Replace old mulch with new to brighten up the garden. Invest in some new, brightly colored plantings.
• Repair, paint, or replace old or damaged mailboxes.
• Remove mold, mildew or other unsightly stains that may be visible anywhere on the home’s exterior, including the roof and driveway.
• Clean up the back yard too; buyers have been known to drive by and around the block just to see what your back yard looks like!

A Little Night Work…

View your home again in the early evening. Potential buyers love to drive by houses in the evening after work or dinner to get an idea of homes they’d like to see more of. One quick way to improve evening curb appeal is with lighting. Use solar powered lighting along your driveway, sidewalks, and near important landscaping elements. Add a nice light fixture to the front porch or spruce up the existing one. Lastly, ensure that any interior lighting that can be seen from outside complements the home's ambience.

When Less Is More…

While adding certain improvements to your landscaping can do wonders for curb appeal, sometimes removing something is even better. Many homes we’ve seen have no showing activity simply because the yards and exterior of the house are unattractive and messy at best, downright ugly and unsafe at worst. Most of them benefited from some attention to the curb appeal, and some even sold quickly after a good exterior sprucing up.

If the first look at a house doesn't pique a buyer’s interest, most won't even consider a second look, especially if it's hard for them to visualize the house after changes are made. However, home buyers who can look past the things that need correcting, and are prepared to make those corrections, will often expect you to pay for it by settling for a reduced sales price or through a credit at closing.

If You Can Do Nothing Else…

• A fresh coat of paint is the easiest and most cost effective way to spruce up a house. Drive around your town, go to a paint store or look in home improvement magazines to find color schemes that have the greatest appeal and fit well into the neighborhood.
• A visually attractive front door can give buyers a warm welcome to your home and make them want to come in. Paint it, replace it or at least consider replacing plain or worn out hardware with new ones.

With a little time and effort, you can always find a budget-friendly way to make your home more appealing to potential buyers. The answer is to identify needed improvements, prioritize, and then work on them when you can. A little extra work now can mean more money in your pocket at closing time.

For more tips on exterior or interior home staging to get the most value from your home, contact us through this page or visit our web site.