When prospective buyers pull up your listing online or pull up to your curb to see your house, what do they see?
Is your house fresh, crisp and screaming to your buyers “come see me” or is it the exterior old, dingy, dirty and crying out “Don’t look at my house?”
The importance of Curb appeal can not be under-stated whether you are selling or renting your house. You want your property to appeal to as many people as possible and you want prospects who love the outside of your house enough to come see it! More good news about curb appeal is that it is not over the top expensive so the pay-back is excellent!
Here are 7 must-have items to include in your Curb Appeal Plan!
1. Siding
News flash: Buyers do not like dirty, rotting siding. Not surprising, is it?
If the siding is in good repair, be sure to power wash it. It is surprising how big an impact you get from a great power wash. Be sure to power wash the deck, sidewalks and porches! If the siding is rotting, replace the siding. Brand new vinyl siding will give your house the face lift it desperately needs.
2. Accessories
Be sure the shutters look great, the gutters are cleaned out, and porches are freshly painted to maximize curb appeal.
While you are working on the exterior accessories, be sure that the driveway looks great. Maybe you can seal coat it or bring in a fresh load of gravel to freshen it up for your new buyers.
The buyer will want a clear path from the driveway to the kitchen, so be sure it is well marked and looks great for them.
What about that old, gross shed? Buyers like outdoor storage. If needed, replace the shed roof and paint or side it so they can see the nice outdoor space you created for them.
3. Landscaping
Be sure to rake all the old leaves, mow and “weed eat” the entire lawn. While working on the yard, be sure to remove fallen branches and dead trees. Work on the flower beds–breathe new life into them with fresh mulch and new shrubs and flowers. Landscaping has one of the best returns on investment you can make on your property. Be sure you cover every inch of your yard!
Flowers add a symphony of color and appeal to new buyers for very little cost.
4. Exterior Lighting
Some buyers do drive-bys at night, so be sure to light up your house with new lighting on porches, spot lights, and landscape solar lights. If they drive by your home at dusk, you want it to shine–so they can make an appointment to see it and buy it right away. Be sure night time buyers can find your house numbers, see your for sale sign, etc.
5. Roof
Have the roof inspected. Sometimes you may need to replace it, go over top of it, or just wash away those roof stains with a strong power washing and that will save you a bundle of cash.
Roofs that do not look good can be red flags and cause concern. If you can create a fresh, maintenance-free exterior with nice siding, clean gutters, nice windows, and a good-looking roof, you’ll be well on your way to selling your house.
6. Entry Door
What do prospective buyers see when they walk up to your porch? Buyers will spend time in that spot for a while, waiting for you or their Realtor to open the door. So be sure it sparkles.
Nice door knobs, a welcome mat, and a red door make a big difference.
Always paint the door red because red is the color that sells! Have you found this to be true? Leave me your comments below!
7. Outdoor Space
Buyers today love to have a nice outdoor space, including a deck, patio, and porch that are well designed, cleaned, and painted. A nice outdoor space allows your potential buyers to see their own families building memories right there at your house.
What is your experience with curb-appeal?
Leave me your comments and share this with your social contacts!
I have heard the red door recommendation several places and I am inclined to believe it. I love red doors, too. I almost got a red door for my most recent property, but the house was reddish stucco and the red door clashed.
That brings me to another comment – these recommendations need a bit of tweaking for places in the Southwest like Phoenix where I am.
For example, many houses here have exterior walls made of stucco or adobe and can’t have siding put on them. Also, landscaping is very different here. A lot of East Coast transplants like me want a lawn when they first get here, but once you’re here a while you realize how expensive and time consuming it is to keep the lawn from turning brown. It also uses a lot of water.
Xeriscaping and other desert landscaping is very popular and usually involves laying out a design of nicely bordered, high quality gravel dotted with bordered plantings of succulents and other low-moisture plants and paved pathways through it around the yard. Rock and cactus gardens are more popular than lawns even in most high end houses.
The other tips are all relevant here and excellent advice.
Great points Kirsten & thanks for sharing your Southwest perspectives!
When we have brick, it is a challenge on the front door color as you don’t want it to clash. We have experimented with other door colors such as yellow, black, etc. and for us none sell as good as a nice red door.
Thanks!
Jim
What I think is the following:
1. do I need money before I go house hunting to flip a foreclosure home?
2. do I need a Realtors License first, and, How do I go about getting one?
A. I can’t afford to pay fr this one on my own!
3. Sorry, if I am asking to many questions. I just want to make sure that I want do all of right the first time.
4. Would I have to concentrate on doing this job of investing in real estate as my main employment first?
5. Can you please tell me what all I need as far as licensing things to pay my taxes, and whatever else I may need too, especially if I want to apply for loans?