Like anything of tangible value, the first impression your home makes in the mind of a buyer can make a world of difference. The first time a potential buyer looks at your house, you want them halfway to the bank. The last thing you want is a potential buyer making complaints even before stepping foot into your house. If anything, their first reaction should be one of wonder or child-like excitement. Here, in essence, is your curb appeal.
Curb appeal refers to the fetching look of your home’s exterior when it is viewed from across the street. It literarily translates to how appealing the exterior of a home is. No joke, a good curb appeal can make any potential buyer make up his mind about your house on the spot. And you know a poorly kept lawn or peeling paint is not going to do that.
So how do you go about this? The key is refreshing the exterior of your home before you bring a potential buyer to its doorstep. Putting a little effort into repairs can go a long way in making you seal that deal. Here are some noteworthy and practical tips to help you boost your curb appeal in no time.
MOW THE LAWN AND CUT BACK THE TREES
The lawn and trees should add to the aesthetics of your house and not detract from it. Overgrown shrubs and trees would do just that. However, with the best hands and the right tools, your home’s exterior can be transformed into a “curb appeal dream.” If you can’t trim and prune, there’s good advice in hiring a trustworthy yard service to do it for you.
ADD SOME COLOR
Luckily for you, there are several creative ways you can go about adding color to your home. This can be in form of colorful ornamentals or a beautiful paint job. The right choice of flowers and shrubs to grow is a useful inexpensive way to spruce up the beauty of your home. Find out what beautiful plants do best at certain times in the year and make good of them. Investing in a good paint job would always be good advice from a curb appeal point of view. Try to get the best paint job for your money’s worth.
CLEAN YOUR WINDOWS
As basic as this sounds, it can do a good job of improving your curb appeal. If you don’t have a front yard, most buyers would naturally be drawn to your windows; make it worthy of the scrutiny. You may also consider getting unique-styled window patterns to boost the look.
ATTEND TO YOUR MAILBOX
Interestingly, your mailbox may be the first thing that captures your buyer’s attention. This isn’t surprising since it stands just outside your building. You may want to consider replacing it if it used to know better days or revamping it into more trendy styles. This is quite inexpensive.
ADDRESS THE ROOF AND GUTTERS
One thing is nearly certain_ buyers look at the roof! Now, you do not want the roof looking disarrayed and dirty. Consider removing debris like tree branches and dry or dead leaves found on the roof. If the damage to your roof is extreme, you may consider taking the long but rewarding route of replacing it. Gutters should be cleared of debris and dirt before any showing.
TOUCH-UP OUTDOOR SPACES
A homely and inviting porch, deck, and patio top the list for most buyers. Therefore, you may want to add beautiful finishing touches to them. Repair any worn-out furniture, do much-needed deck repairs. Your outdoor spaces should be sparkling clean_ you can pressure wash them to achieve this.
TIDY UP THE WALKWAYS AND DRIVEWAYS
Try to seal up any cracks and dentures in your walks and driveways. You may consider pressure washing concrete drives and walkways. This way, they will be pristine and ready for your potential buyer. You would most likely be driving and walking through this area so it should leave a beautiful impression.
REPAIR AND IMPROVE LIGHTING FIXTURES
Your potential buyer may decide to take a look at your house during nighttime. Therefore, you should make sure any broken lighting gets the necessary attention. Your curb appeal also moves a notch when you have beautiful exterior lights.
ENLIST THE HELP OF NEIGHBORS
Curb appeal is not restricted to your house. It’s always an appealing sight to see a line of well-manicured and neatly arranged front yards. So how do you achieve this? You may walk up to your neighbors and diplomatically ask them to keep their front yards in the best shape. You may want to add as a sidebar that they would benefit from your home selling at a high rate. Even though they may never do anything drastic like repainting their exterior, you may get them to mow their lawns; and that is something.
USE TOP-NOTCH REAL ESTATE SIGNAGE
A sign that proudly states your belief in your property is a ‘must-have.’ If the quality of the For Sale sign doesn’t reflect your trust in your property, how will a potential buyer regard it? Try to invest in signage that reflects pride in your house. Use quality designs and materials that could withstand adverse weather conditions. Let it stand tall and proud and watch it do its magic on the impression of buyers.
PHOTOGRAPH THE CURB APPEAL
Unlike regular photography, you want to specifically ensure that you capture the “curb appeal” of your house. Nowadays with the trendy online presence of real estate, this is a prime opportunity to showcase your house in its picture-perfect glory. A potential buyer now may just be a click away, so try to invest your resources into taking beautiful pictures of your house. A good photographer to capture the selling point of your home and an agent that knows just the right features to display are all you need to capture the splendor of your property.
