Curb Appeal Matters

Your real estate agent may present to you all sorts of whiz-bang ways to market your home for sale. The Internet, for example, is a fantastic way to get your home in front of potential buyers. There are QR codes, those goofy looking bar codes that are popping up on real estate for sale signs. Number to text to get more information. Virtual tours. Video. The list goes on.

But you know what is still the most important thing to have in order for your home to sell?

Curb appeal.

Yep, good old-fashioned curb appeal. The instant impression your home gives when a buyer pulls up and gets out of the car.

The last thing you want is for a potential buyer to say, "Ugh, needs paint" or "Geez, look at the weeds". What you really want a buyer to say before the car even stops is, "Wow! I can't wait to see what it looks like on the inside!"

Here are five things you can do to increase your home's curb appeal

• Paint. Nothing looks better than a freshly painted home. Conversely, nothing will put off a buyer faster than seeing faded, peeling paint. Think neutral colors. Now is not the time to splash that bright magenta paint across the entry way. Be sure to check with your home owners association if you have one.  Many have approved palettes and very specific rules about what colors and combinations you can use for exterior paint. When it comes to getting the most out of your dollar, paint is way up the list of things you can do to improve your home.
• Landscaping. While it seems obvious, it is critical to not only ensure your lawn is weed free, but also to ensure it stays weed free for the entire time your home is on the market. Water the lawn, cut the grass, pull the weeds. If you aren't living in the home while it is for sale, you'll have to get someone to take care of the landscaping in your absence. Perhaps a neighbor could be bribed.  If not, call a landscaping company. In many large markets there are landscapers that have "home for sale" packages. If the season is right, spruce up the landscaping with some fresh flowers. You might think a buyer would just overlook tall grass and weeds, knowing it would only take a short time to clean the yard up. They'll overlook it alright -- meaning they'll overlook your home and move right on to the next one.
• Wash the windows. Now here is a job no one likes. When is the last time you washed the windows in your home? Yeah, I thought so. You might be amazed at how dirty they are. Not only will washing the windows (and screens) make your home stand out, it will also let more light into the home -- and light, particularly natural light, is a home sellers friend. This is a job that can be hired out, or just rent yourself a power washer, it makes the job much easier and almost fun. And that power washer comes in handy for our next tip...
• Clean the driveway and sidewalks. At a bare minimum, sweep the driveway and sidewalks around your home. Might as well hit the front and back porch while you are at it. Driveways in particular pick up a lot of dirt and grime, especially if you park your care in the driveway. A power washer does wonders. Use a little good old fashioned car wash soap and that's often enough to make your driveway and sidewalks shine. There are also various types of concrete cleaners out there for tough stains.
• Help your neighbors help you. Whoever buys your house isn't just buying your home, they are buying into a neighborhood. If you happen to live next door to the guy whose front lawn looks like a used appliance dump or someone whose definition of "natural landscaping" means never mowing or weeding, that can be a huge turnoff to potential buyers. This isn't an easy problem to address. Hopefully you're friends with your neighbors and can just have a civil conversation with them if their yard is in disrepair. Offer to pay for your landscaper do a "one time cleanup" on their yard. Many times that's all it takes to kick the neighbor into gear to maintain their yard. It's not worth getting into a heated argument though, so go easy on this tip if you have any hesitations. 

These are pretty simple tips, easy to do or relatively inexpensive to pay for and can go a long way toward making your home stand out in a sea of sameness. Great marketing can bring buyers to your home, but there isn't any marketing out there that can make your home appealing to those standing there looking at it, and contemplating living there.

Photo: PhoenixREguy. Creative Commons 2.0