Curb Appeal

Curb Appeal is one of the most important factors when you are preparing to sell your home. It is a well known fact that most potential buyers make up their minds about a property in the first few minutes based on curb appeal. How your home appears to others will probably be the make or break point as to whether you get them to come through the front door. Make Curb Appeal your primary goal in starting the process of selling your home.

Be sure to look at your home with an objective eye, just as if you were the potential buyer. It can be hard for some of us to put aside the "emotional feeling" about our home, but in order to be successful you must put feelings aside and treat this process like a business, afterall it is a "business transaction". Initially clean any obvious garbage, damaged or broken items from your front yard and step back and start with a clean slate. Here are some areas that you can look at to see if they apply to your particular home and get out your big notebook and start taking notes. Look at Landscaping, Porches, Driveways, Walkways or Paths, Windows, Shingles, Painting, Lighting, Doors & Hardware, Fencing, Garden Accessories and Outdoor Furnishings. Don't get overwhelmed and think that your home must be touched up in all these areas, but be sure to look "as a potential buyer" and make sure your maximizing your Curb Appeal. Remember by taking the time now to "fix & fluff" your home you could add thousands of dollars to your selling price. Who doesn't want the maximum dollar from the sale of their home.

When a potential buyer is driving by your home, your property should be "appealing" enough that they would want to stop, look and inquire to yourself or the realtor to look inside your home as well. That is when you know you have done your Curb Appeal well. On average it is suggested that when Curb Appeal has been maximized 50% of homes are sold based on that intial first impression. When your home not only looks appealing and inviting it also makes the potential buyer more at ease because the overall impression is that the home has been well taken care of and therefore there will probably not be too many "surprises" waiting inside. When your home has great curb appeal and the inside has had attention to detail as well, then a buyer often time feels that the house is worth more and the risk for a bad investment is diminished.

As you enter your property the first thing you will land on would be your driveway or sidewalk. Don't overlook these two very important areas as they are the welcoming mat into your home. Make sure they are both swept, hosed and cleaned and be sure to do any minor repairs that could bring them back to "like new" condition. That could mean using an asphalt sealer, filling in cracks and be sure that the edges of the grass are trimmed along the way. Nothing worse than stomping through overgrown jungle like gardens and grass. Ensure that grass that has died is replaced with sod or fresh grass seed and don't let weeds take up residency in your garden or lawn. Trimming of shrubs and plants is important particularily if they have become overgrown and are obscuring the view not only into your home but out as well. If your budget will allow then look at installing a decorative trim around your flower beds or an interlocking retaining wall adds a classier look to the home. Discuss with your local garden store as to what plants and gardening decor best suits your soil and lighting conditions. Not much fun spending money on plants and accessories only to find out they will be dead before the end of the week. A little bit of homework in this area will pay off in the long run.

Look over your gutters, drains and downspouts. Make sure they are clean and unclogged from any debris from trees or plants. Ensure the water has a place to run to that leads away from the house and all spouts are connected, not leaking or cracked. You might have to make some minor repairs with a gutter sealant or new spouts or drains, but don't neglect this very important area or you could find your "house deal" going down the drain too. If you have fencing around your property ensure that the posts and panels are secure and straight or chain link is in good shape without any openings or loose wires exposed. When it comes to the siding it absolutely must be clean to show at its best. Moss, mold and algae are not attractive shades of green that you probably don't want a future home owner to be looking at. The cost is reasonable to rent a power washer from your local builder supply store and starting at the bottom work your way up to a new looking home. Make sure you have a clear understanding as to what your siding can tolerate to be cleaned with. Power washers have a few settings but you don't want to sandblast your home so be careful. It could take old fashioned elbow grease to clean things up or possibly a fresh coat of paint or stain.

What greets us all when we enter a home? A Front Door of course. Don't forget this very important feature as well. If your door is showing signs of weathering or cracking then it just might be worthwhile replacing the door and jambs and adding a fresh coat of paint. If you have a steel door it doesn't mean you have to keep it white just because it was shipped that way. Today we see the use of some lovely colors on the front door which make the entrance appealing and inviting. Remember the door handle and locks are the jewels that can really set your front door off. Look at it as adding icing to your cake or earrings with your dress, they are the extra touches that can add class and style. Look at your front porch light and ensure it is clean, has a new bulb and its doing the job of illuminating the area well. Don't leave a light fixture there that is broken or has loose wiring that just looks like laziness on your part in taking care of your home. If you have an exterior mailbox at your front door, there again ensure that it is clean and well presented and in working order, otherwise a replacement will be needed.

If you have a front porch or deck on your home maybe a power washing is all that is necessary, but if the paint is chipped and cracked or the stain is all but washed out, then a fresh coat of deckpaint would be best. Be sure to discuss which product is better for your home and the area you live in with your local paint store. Last but not least....don't forget about your Back Yard. We can get too focused on the front yard and our curb appeal there, but as a buyer strolls through your home he will eventually get to the back yard. It would be a shame to have done so well in the front yard and within your home, only to have them arrive in the back yard and see an area that was overgrown, cluttered and neglected. So from Front to Back...Make sure your Home is a Winner!

Written by Sharon @ IDQ