Guide to Creating Stunning
Curb Appeal
Curb Appeal; Don’t Kick It to the Curb
No matter whether you are selling your own primary residence or a great foreclosure, creating great curb appeal for the property is the fastest way to sell it for top dollar.
“Curb appeal” – what does it mean? Seeing your house for the first time is one of the most important (and long-lasting) impressions prospective buyers have. Increasingly, first impressions are made online rather than curbside, so you should not only enhance the home’s appearance but also take great photographs.
The exterior should be painted
Adding a fresh coat of paint to a house enhances its appearance and adds significant value to its appraisal. Choose an exterior wall color that is warm but neutral in tone. You don’t want your home to look smaller by using dark colors. When you first walk into the home, add some color to the front door and shutters to make the home stand out.
Roof cleaning or repair
House hunters won’t imagine a costly roof replacement when you clean dirt and mold off your shingles with a bleach and water solution. You can also prevent water damage, pest infestation, and mold growth by repairing any damaged areas of your roof.
Gutters should be cleaned or replaced
As you’re cleaning your roof, check your gutters, which can become rusted or damaged over time. Choosing snap-fit vinyl systems that are durable and easy to maintain may be a better solution if a few simple cleanings don’t suffice.
Windows should be replaced
The exterior of the house can be instantly updated and made more energy efficient by replacing windows that stick, leak, or peel. Buyers love this benefit. Energy efficiency features topped a recent survey of homebuyer preferences conducted by the National Association of Home Builders.
Redo the Driveway or Walkway
Cracked or vegetation-filled driveways or walkways need to be weeded and cracked driveways and walkways need to be repaired. Is your driveway made of stone? For a new look, consider adding more stones.
Stoop or porch repairs
As buyers wait to enter your home, they will linger and take a look around. Check your front porch for broken bricks or wobbly railings and ensure it is structurally sound. You can really make this area shine by giving it a good blast with a power washer.
Hardware installation
Make sure you have new hardware for your house numbers, lighting, doorknobs, and mailboxes. You can easily install these quick fixes around your door, which are not only cost-effective but also instantly energize the area around it. Use the same material for all the hardware.
Consider adding privacy curtains
There are more reasons to use privacy curtains than just for your windows. In order to create a sense of seclusion from neighbors or muffle road noise, curtains can really soften a hard landscape, like adding light flowing curtain panels to your porch overhang.
Rotten trim should be replaced
Potential buyers can be easily turned off by rot-damaged trim, as it indicates a lack of maintenance. Rot-damaged trim is an eyesore and can lead to more costly repairs in the future. It’s important for homeowners to inspect their house regularly and take steps to prevent rot damage from occurring.
Mulch that has faded should be replaced
Constant exposure to the sun will fade the mulch after a while. Having fresh mulch will enhance your curb appeal, so it’s important to do so. Replacing old mulched areas before showing your home.
Make Your Yard Clutter-Free
Getting rid of ornaments and kids’ toys in your yard is the best thing you can do. These things distract prospective homebuyers from what they really want to buy: your house. The less you have in your yard, the better.
Make Your Yard More Beautiful By Adding A Bench, Swing Set, Garden Path Or Bird Bath
Add some excitement to a small or bland house with a bench, swing set, or birdbath.
Landscaping
Once your home is on the market, make sure you mow and edge the lawn once a week. Fresh sod should be laid down on any brown spots or empty spots a month before putting the house on the market. Clean up your garden by trimming your shrubs and trees, raking leaves and bagging them, removing dead branches from trees, and pulling weeds from beds and walkways. You can incorporate color to your home by adding red Cyprus mulch around flowerbeds. Consider removing some bushes that block your view of your home. It’s also a good idea to place flowers in a window box or by the front door.
Perform a pressure wash
Ideally, you should buy or rent a pressure washer (or hire someone who can do it for you), and clean the exterior of your home thoroughly before painting. The driveway, sidewalks, curbs, and walkway leading to the front door should also be pressure washed. It only takes a few hours for your home to look sparkling clean and fresh. You should watch out for spider webs, wasps, and bees when pressure washing your home’s soffits. In the event that your home is infested with hives or nests, you should hire a professional pest control service first.
Plants that require little maintenance are best
Make your yard more beautiful and colorful by planting low-maintenance plants instead of exotic plants.
Xeriscaping is a good option
When it comes to xeriscaping, warm climates are ideal. The use of rocks instead of mulch has become increasingly popular in the last couple of years, since rocks don’t erode and don’t need replacing as frequently as mulch.
Ensure that the front door looks good
In addition to pressure washing and painting the front door, you should paint the front of the house as well. Red, burgundy, black, brown, or green are all good colors to paint the door with. In case you have shutters, it should match them. To enhance the look of the door, you can add a silver, black, or white kick plate or door knocker. It is easy and inexpensive to replace an old and worn-out doorbell. After painting your door, consider buying a new one if it still looks old and worn. Buyers evaluate your home’s condition based on the appearance of your front door.
Give them a surprise
It would be nice if you added miscellaneous items around the front of your house that would elicit comments of pleasant surprise from those who see it. To increase curb appeal, you can install a filtered pond with goldfish, a row of solar lights or a wrought iron bench. Be careful not to add too many items, otherwise your home may appear cluttered and the opposite effect might occur.
It is possible for investors or homeowners to make many of these improvements on a budget, and they will add more value to the appraisal than the cost of making them. Be sure to let the buyer’s appraiser know about your improvements so that they can determine your sales price.
How well does your home appear in your online listings? Make sure to include photos of your curb appeal in your listing so that potential buyers can get a sense of how it looks.