Curb appeal is essential to enhancing your home’s exterior and attracting clients. Whether representing a home buyer or seller, plan to put it on your to-dos. Painting the outside of a home is a simple fix, that can be quickly executed–it might take a weekend’s worth of time, but the benefit far outweighs the labor and cost. An older home appears brand new after a fresh paint job; it invites people to stay, to dream about living there and making it their home.
The majority of people do not possess the talent to envision what a few changes can bring to a property. Help them every step of the way, make it a snap to a turn a prospect into a client by providing an attractive background, a perfect postcard setting they can walk into without effort.
Assess the landscaping as you walk around the home. Remove any plants struggling to survive and replace them with a hardier sort, plants which will thrive with less attention. When situated in colorful planters you have created even more magnetism which will attract a home buyer to your home. The driveway should be in good condition, too no stains, sinkholes, or buckling.
Think of the exterior of the home as the frame surrounding a prospective buyer’s home. Why would they even decide to turn onto the walk if the home isn’t as pretty as what they have long-dreamed about? And yes, buyers’ dreams change. They begin to learn they can substitute one component of a dream for another, but they may still not have the wherewithal to bestow a mental makeover on a property marked as a fixer-upper.
Remember also, you are competing with comps. You must outshine them all in order to seal the deal. Home buyers get very busy weighing risk and reward when they are in the mode of considering a purchase. You need to guarantee you have done everything in your power to keep them interested and engaged in the prospects you have to offer.
A starter list to smashing curb appeal:
- Exterior paint: make that front door pop! Entrance prospects to drift toward it and swing it wide! Don’t forget the mailbox!
- Driveway repair – Your client needs to know the path to their new home is solid and has been maintained. Stuck for time, or money? Resealing requires less dollars and is accomplished over a day or two.
- Landscaping – Focus on the yard, the bushes lining the sidewalk, yes. But also consider creating symmetry around the front door. A pair of matching arborvitae might just do the trick!
- Replace old hardware — no potential buyer wants to get turned off at the prospect of making this home improvement task their job.
- Freshen up outdoor lighting – if those lights flanking the garage door are sun-faded and dinged by the elements, replace!
- Get that fence ship-shape and ready for showing. Replace any damaged panels. Slap on a fresh coat of stain or paint.
- consider adding new gutter and downspouts – The accessories of the home, installing a fresh set is a real time-saver and adds quality appeal to the property.
These are just a few tips to undertake, but think of it this way. A home buyer notices. Just as they take note of what needs to be done and the time and energy they will need to expend making improvements (which they would rather spend setting up their home’s interior for living), they also appreciate the niceties they don’t need to worry about. Make it easy and get your buyers on the buying path and you won’t have that listing on the real estate market long!
