Curb Appeal: Judging A Book By It's Cover
Curb appeal is another name for a first impression, judging a book by its cover, and any other name along these lines. In real estate, this is what a buyer sees when they pull up to your home. These few moments can make or break the sale of your home.
Enhancing Curb Appeal
Here are a few checklist items you should consider improving to enhance your chances of selling:
Landscaping
Exterior detail of your home
Paint on fence/home
Mulch
Clean windows
Rock
Discoloration of shutters
Rain gutter maintenance/ color
Trimming trees
Lawncare
Crowded window space is bad
Imagine pulling up to the curb of a home you’re interested in buying. You’re full of excitement as your real estate agent found a home that meets your criteria. What do you expect to see?
On the left is a home with a semi-maintained yard. The overgrown tree and bushes are the focal point of the property not the home. On the right the yard is well-manicured making the home the focal point of the property.
Backyard
Buyers might not walk through a home if their first impression is not aesthetically pleasing. We’ve given a lot of attention to the front yard but what about the backyard? Arguably one of the more important features of a home. Owners might like to spend time with family & friends, BBQ, play with pets, throw a ball and so forth. The front yard checklist can easily be applied to the back and sides of your home as well.
Buyers like to envision themselves using the space and if that space isn’t in prime condition they might lose interest in your home. Their vision will be clouded by poor landscape and home upkeep.
Think about how you can make your home as turnkey as possible. We’ve had many buyers that don’t want to put in manual labor or pay others to do yard work or exterior property maintenance.
Both of the backyards pictured below are clean cut and well-maintained. How do you see yourself using these backyards? With whom? Doing what?
Curb Appeal from a Buyer's Perspective
Your ability to make your curb appeal more attractive can lead to a higher selling price. If the next owners have to spend money to spruce up the curb appeal they’ll often not be willing to meet you at the asking price. They’ll be more willing to negotiate and less willing to settle which means you’ll have to.
Think about selling your home as if you’re the one buying it. If you notice something about the property that would make you less willing to purchase, it needs to be modified, cleaned, replaced, etc before the home hits the market.
ANYTHING to make your home more desirable should be done before listing!
Need Help?
Have any questions about curb appeal? Not sure if your home is attractive enough? Do you need trustworthy and reliable contacts to spruce your home up? Contact us today and see how we can help you generate great first impressions.
