10 simple tips for boosting curb appeal
/How can a home seller attract potential buyers to explore the property and consider purchasing it? Plenty of prospective homeowners drive through desired neighborhoods, sizing up several homes for sale before ever calling realtors to tour such properties. Still more browse certain areas via real estate listings online. In either case, curb appeal counts for plenty.
Aside from undertaking a major renovation, which is costly and probably inappropriate, what steps can a homeowner take to make the property more appealing on the outside? Where does the seller begin? The first initiative is a walk-around, pretending to be a prospective home buyer, seeing the place for the first time. How does the place look for drive-by viewers, initial tours, and home photos? Several basic and reasonably inexpensive instructions follow, which can greatly boost interest in a home offered for sale. These steps are aimed at improving home appeal on single-family or multi-family homes, but the same principles may be adapted for condominiums or other forms of dwellings.
1. Clear the clutter.
Yard and garden tools, toys, sporting equipment, and vehicles in various stages of repair should be neatly stowed out of sight. A tidy yard appeals to most buyers much more than one littered with all sorts of stuff.
2. Give the house a wash.
Why not rent a power washer for a day or two and hose down the whole place? It’s amazing how much better home siding, wooden decks, brick or stone patios, porches or stoops, driveways, and walkways can look after a thorough spray-down. If a power washing doesn’t do the trick, a paint job may be in order. Even a trim and shutter touch-up can improve a home’s curb appeal considerably.
3. Inspect the roof.
Loose or missing shingles and leaky spots should be fixed. Sagging drainpipes need to be repaired. The way the roof looks can say plenty about the care a home property has received. Most buyers will want to know how old the current roof is.
4. Spiff up the mailbox.
Is the mailbox sturdy and solidly installed, or does it tip and teeter? Does it need replacing or touching up? Why not replace the house numbers, if they are rusted, peeling, or altogether missing?
5. Dress up the door.
A freshly painted front door raises a house’s curb appeal dramatically. At the very least, a thorough scrubbing may be needed. This is a great moment to polish the door hardware and add a pretty wreath, a bell pull, or a classic door knocker. And if the doorbell doesn’t work, it may be time to fix it.
6. Choose some color.
A little landscaping can go a long way towards upping a home’s outside appearance. A quality flag and a couple of classic hanging or standing planters (or garden beds), filled with seasonal greens or bright annual flowers add appeal.
7. Look into lighting.
Simple white light strands, lining porch rails or decorating pretty shrubs, can make a home feel more inviting. Solar lanterns, walkway lights, or yard spotlights do the trick as well. Do the porch and garage lights work? How about checking all of the outside light bulbs?
8. Display a delightful doormat.
Placing a classic mat adds a welcoming touch, even if it doesn’t read “Welcome.” Plus, this helps keep the house clean, if prospective home buyers choose to enter.
9. Peruse the plantings.
Basic yard care is essential to a sale home’s curb appeal. The lawn should be neatly mowed. Trees and shrubs should be trimmed. If possible, it’s nice to deadhead flowers before potential homeowners come to call.
10. Slip up the shades.
A home is considerably more intriguing when the shutters are open, the shades are up, and the curtains are drawn back. (Sheers are OK.) A buttoned-up house may be perceived less favorably, even from the street, and the rooms will certainly feel more closed-in for those who step inside.
Certainly, the condition of inside of the home is of paramount interest to any prospective buyer, but the outside appearance is what draws lookers to venture onto the property in the first place. Curb appeal is critical to attracting potential home purchasers.