Selling Your Home with Curb Appeal

One of the best things you can do to make your home appear more appealing to prospective buyers is to take steps to increase your home’s curb appeal. Simply walk across the street, look at your home with an impartial eye, and ask yourself what needs to be done to make your home look better from the curb.

Don’t let your eyes skip over the scraggly shrubs in front of your house, the peeling paint on your front door, or the leaves piled up in your yard. It is just these types of little things that detract from the curb appeal of your home. When it comes to shopping for a new home, people really do judge books by their covers. If your home doesn’t look good from the outside, prospective buyers just might not ever decide to set foot inside.

There are many simple and relatively inexpensive things that homeowners can do to improve the appearance of their homes from the outside. Keep in mind that your “for sale” sign is going to be in your yard. When drive-by prospects see the sign, you want them to look at the home’s exterior and see a structure that is so appealing and inviting that they just have to go inside and check it out.

Landscaping and Lawn Maintenance

If your lawn is poorly maintained or just generally unattractive, you are sending a very negative message to buyers. People want to buy real estate that has a yard that is attractive and easy to maintain. If your yard isn’t in good condition, buyers are going to assume that maintenance for your particular piece of property is difficult, and will likely keep looking until they find a home with an attractive yard.

It doesn’t cost a lot to hire someone to take care of your lawn if you don’t have the time or inclination to do it. Whether you care about your yard’s appearance or not, it is important that you realize that prospective buyers will care. A properly maintained, attractively landscaped yard can help your home attract more serious lookers, sell faster, and fetch a higher price. Planting a few flowers, trimming the shrubs, and cutting the grass is a small price to pay to help your home sell quickly.

Here are a few landscaping pointers: Trim existing shrubbery back away from the doors and windows. Remove or replace any dead shrubbery first. Not only does it present an unattractive look, but also, it presents the idea that the homeowner did not take care of it. Prospective buyers might wonder what else you did not take care of around or inside the home as well.

If your home has window boxes or planters, put something in them. If the time of year is right, place living plants such as geraniums, ornamental grasses, or vines inside each one. If the current season doesn’t allow colorful plants to flourish, consider a few attractive, artificial plants for the time being.

Carefully trimmed spruces can add a touch of curb appeal to your home’s exterior as well. Small spiral topiaries provide an attractive touch of class too. Don’t over-invest in these plants, since one or two will do a fine job.

Front Entrance

Many people never use their front doors, and so they don’t pay much attention to them. The result is that many homes end up with tired, worn out looking doors that detract from the appearance of the home. When you are selling your home, the front door will often be the first part of the structure that prospective buyers see. They will notice built-up dirt, peeling paint, and rusty doorknobs.

When potential buyers see a front door that is not in good shape, they will very likely subconsciously begin to wonder if the home has been properly cared for in general. Therefore, it is in your best interest to make sure that your front door is in excellent condition. The good news is that a power wash and maybe a coat of paint are likely to be enough to restore your front door to like-new condition.
You may want to consider adding character to your home by replacing your old door with a new one that stands out. The door does not have to be expensive, but it should be eye-catching and attractive. Doors made from handsome woods such as mahogany or cherry add class to any home. Additionally, your home’s entryway can benefit from a new door crafted and designed with striking custom colors. Cut-glass storm doors create a stylish look that glitters in the sun, bringing attention to their gorgeous details.

Accessorize Your House

One of the easiest ways to change the look of your home from dull and ordinary to sharp and attractive is to add or change a few existing features. If your home does not already have a brass knocker, consider putting one on your front door. Adding a doorbell with an attractive button or a brass kickplate can also spruce up your home’s curb appeal. Change the doorknob to increase its appeal as well.

If your existing accents have lost their shine, replacing them with something brighter and bolder can achieve an effect that benefits your home. Brass adds a touch of class and selecting tarnish-free styles can guarantee that your front door maintains its stylish look while you are attempting to sell it.

If you house is old and dull, a new set of shutters can do wonders to add color and class to it. Consider purchasing used shutters that are in excellent condition from a second hand store or flea market to keep in touch with the look of the rest of your home’s exterior.

Overall Exterior

When you are looking at your home from across the street, you may notice that your home’s exterior isn’t as clean as it was the day you moved in. When you list your home for sale, it is a good idea to get the entire structure professionally power washed. If you’re like most homeowners, you’ll probably be surprised to find that your home looks like it got a brand new coat of paint when the environmental dirt and grime is washed away.

In some cases where the paint is in obvious disrepair, you may wish to repaint all or part of your home’s exterior. Stick to traditional colors, as they are unlikely to fall out of fashion. If you do not want to incur the cost of repainting the entire exterior of the home, you can always paint the garage doors or woodwork on the outside of the home for a fresher look that adds curb appeal instantly.

Whatever you decide is the right choice for increasing your home’s curb appeal, you should follow through with the decision. Always complete any project that you begin on the home for the best results.

Increasing curb appeal will pay off... after all, the more attractive your home is on the outside, the more prospects will want to see the inside.