Ways To Enhance Curb Appeal To Sell Your Home Faster
Make Buyers Shout “Stop The Car! That’s The One!”
If you’re thinking about selling your home in today’s market and you want to boost its appeal to all potential buyers, follow the suggestions below, then "Sit back and watch us sell your home for top dollar!"
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Curb Appeal to Sell My Chandler Home Faster and For More Money:
First Impressions Start Outside Your Home
Maybe you can’t judge a book by its cover, but jacket art and binding quality can certainly influence your decision to pick up a book and buy it. The same principle applies to homes for sale.
The exterior of a home and the grounds surrounding it create a strong first impression on home buyers, as well as family, friends and neighbors. If a property shows shoddy upkeep, cracked stucco, faded paint and unattractive landscaping, prospects viewing it from the curb may assume more shabbiness inside. Buyers won’t even go there unless, of course, they’re looking for a bargain-priced fixer-upper.
Take A Walkabout
Pretend you are shopping for a home with a notebook and an attitude. Ask someone to drive you slowly past your home, approaching it from every street that allows a view of the property—front, sides, and back. As you cruise by, note your first impressions. Then, get out of the car and walk toward the property critically as a buyer would, jotting down what you notice along the way.
To get a truly objective opinion about your home’s curb appeal, ask us to accompany you on your exterior survey. With no emotional attachment to the property, other people see things you might miss—both good and not so good.
See how your home looks after dark, too. Many busy home buyers use weekday evenings to drive by homes and weekend days to visit them.
Pretend you are shopping for a home with a notebook and an attitude. Ask someone to drive you slowly past your home, approaching it from every street that allows a view of the property—front, sides, and back. As you cruise by, note your first impressions. Then, get out of the car and walk toward the property critically as a buyer would, jotting down what you notice along the way.
To get a truly objective opinion about your home’s curb appeal, ask us to accompany you on your exterior survey. With no emotional attachment to the property, other people see things you might miss—both good and not so good.
See how your home looks after dark, too. Many busy home buyers use weekday evenings to drive by homes and weekend days to visit them.
The Big Picture
As you look at your property, try to find a memorable word or phrase that best describes it. (Buyers will do exactly that.) Is your home inviting, cozy, elegant, well-maintained or interesting? Or is it run-down, messy, ordinary, dirty or scary looking?
The overall impression your home makes is really a composite of various elements—location, architecture, landscaping, details and upkeep. By focusing on each element individually, you can create an attractive first impression of your home.
Location
Short of picking up and moving your home to another lot, the only thing you can do about its location is emphasize the good points and minimize any bad ones. For example, if the home sits on a corner lot, you may want to install an attractive hedge or fence to create more privacy in the exposed side yard. That’s also a useful approach if an eyesore on a neighbor’s lot can be seen from yours.
As you look at your property, try to find a memorable word or phrase that best describes it. (Buyers will do exactly that.) Is your home inviting, cozy, elegant, well-maintained or interesting? Or is it run-down, messy, ordinary, dirty or scary looking?
The overall impression your home makes is really a composite of various elements—location, architecture, landscaping, details and upkeep. By focusing on each element individually, you can create an attractive first impression of your home.
Location
Short of picking up and moving your home to another lot, the only thing you can do about its location is emphasize the good points and minimize any bad ones. For example, if the home sits on a corner lot, you may want to install an attractive hedge or fence to create more privacy in the exposed side yard. That’s also a useful approach if an eyesore on a neighbor’s lot can be seen from yours.
Architecture
Punch up your home’s style by ensuring its attractive architectural features get noticed. If your house color is outdated, or you have faded or cracked stucco, consider painting the entire exterior a neutral color. Beige, cream (not yellow), and light grey are good colors that appeal to most buyers.
"A great idea for paint combinations is to look at 3-4 model home communities that cost $20,000 to $50,000 more than your neighborhood and copy one of them. Just make sure you comply with your HOA color scheme before painting."
Use a slightly contrasting paint color that coordinates with the color of the home to emphasize special features such as columns, trim, porches, shutters, doors and so on. Less attractive features, such as gutter downspouts, can be painted the same color as the home so they blend in and disappear.
Always give the front door and door trim a fresh coat of paint or stain even if you paint nothing else. Buyers stand at the front door waiting to get in, so this will give them a good first impression.
Don’t have much style to work with? Add some! For example, you can give dimension and a touch of charm to a simple rectangular or square home by installing a decorative stucco, or iron, fence along the outside of the entry walkway. Set it so you can landscape, or plant flowers on at least one side. Consider adding outdoor furniture, or a railing to a plain front or back porch. Window shutters add a nice touch, too.
Punch up your home’s style by ensuring its attractive architectural features get noticed. If your house color is outdated, or you have faded or cracked stucco, consider painting the entire exterior a neutral color. Beige, cream (not yellow), and light grey are good colors that appeal to most buyers.
"A great idea for paint combinations is to look at 3-4 model home communities that cost $20,000 to $50,000 more than your neighborhood and copy one of them. Just make sure you comply with your HOA color scheme before painting."
Use a slightly contrasting paint color that coordinates with the color of the home to emphasize special features such as columns, trim, porches, shutters, doors and so on. Less attractive features, such as gutter downspouts, can be painted the same color as the home so they blend in and disappear.
Always give the front door and door trim a fresh coat of paint or stain even if you paint nothing else. Buyers stand at the front door waiting to get in, so this will give them a good first impression.
Don’t have much style to work with? Add some! For example, you can give dimension and a touch of charm to a simple rectangular or square home by installing a decorative stucco, or iron, fence along the outside of the entry walkway. Set it so you can landscape, or plant flowers on at least one side. Consider adding outdoor furniture, or a railing to a plain front or back porch. Window shutters add a nice touch, too.
Landscaping
Studies show that strategic landscaping not only attracts the attention of buyers, it can also increase the value of your home. If your lawn and garden look helter-skelter, ask a local nursery to draw up a remodeling plan to make the best use of what’s already there. Add new plants, trees or shrubs, as needed. You can do the work yourself or hire a team to make changes for you.
"Houses with no landscaping in the front lose thousands of dollars of value in the mind of the buyer."
Remember, plantings on the property should decorate rather than dominate the home. Remove old shrubs and trees that have over-grown their location, no longer look healthy or block a view of doors, windows or walkways. Substitute a self-maintaining ground cover or flowering shrubs and mulch in hard-to-move locations. Simplify flowerbeds so they look neat and easy to maintain. Make sure trees, shrubs, flowerbeds and lawn are kept neatly trimmed and weed-free.
Studies show that strategic landscaping not only attracts the attention of buyers, it can also increase the value of your home. If your lawn and garden look helter-skelter, ask a local nursery to draw up a remodeling plan to make the best use of what’s already there. Add new plants, trees or shrubs, as needed. You can do the work yourself or hire a team to make changes for you.
"Houses with no landscaping in the front lose thousands of dollars of value in the mind of the buyer."
Remember, plantings on the property should decorate rather than dominate the home. Remove old shrubs and trees that have over-grown their location, no longer look healthy or block a view of doors, windows or walkways. Substitute a self-maintaining ground cover or flowering shrubs and mulch in hard-to-move locations. Simplify flowerbeds so they look neat and easy to maintain. Make sure trees, shrubs, flowerbeds and lawn are kept neatly trimmed and weed-free.
Extra Pizzazz
Add interest to just two or three areas outside your home using a decorative planter or potted flowers, distinctive mailbox, seasonal banner, window boxes, front-porch swing, garden bench or bird bath. You can also add outdoor lighting to highlight your landscaping and enhance your curb appeal at night. Don’t get carried away, though. A few tasteful touches will look great while multiple accents all around the home will have a disorganized, junky effect.
Details
Mailboxes, house numbers, screens, light fixtures, railings, door handles and kick-plates can adorn a home or detract from it. Make sure your home’s hardware reflects up-to-date styles. For example, old-English-style light fixtures were the rage in the ‘70s but may look dated today on anything but Tudor-style homes.
At the very least, make sure your home’s hardware is properly installed, operable, attractive and in good condition. Think about adding floodlights or pathway lighting to make your home safer after dark. Be conservative, though; too many path lights, especially in a straight line, can make your yard look like an airport landing strip after dark.
Add interest to just two or three areas outside your home using a decorative planter or potted flowers, distinctive mailbox, seasonal banner, window boxes, front-porch swing, garden bench or bird bath. You can also add outdoor lighting to highlight your landscaping and enhance your curb appeal at night. Don’t get carried away, though. A few tasteful touches will look great while multiple accents all around the home will have a disorganized, junky effect.
Details
Mailboxes, house numbers, screens, light fixtures, railings, door handles and kick-plates can adorn a home or detract from it. Make sure your home’s hardware reflects up-to-date styles. For example, old-English-style light fixtures were the rage in the ‘70s but may look dated today on anything but Tudor-style homes.
At the very least, make sure your home’s hardware is properly installed, operable, attractive and in good condition. Think about adding floodlights or pathway lighting to make your home safer after dark. Be conservative, though; too many path lights, especially in a straight line, can make your yard look like an airport landing strip after dark.
Upkeep
The most important impression you want your home to convey is that it is clean and well-maintained. First, minimize or do away with yard clutter, lawn ornaments, grills, furniture, yard tools or toys. If you have an asphalt driveway, fill cracks and apply a fresh coat of sealer. If your home’s exterior paint is faded or in a dated color, invest in a fresh paint job in a neutral color scheme; one that fits both the home and the neighborhood.
Buy or rent a pressure washer and use it to give your home’s siding, brick and deck a good wash. Power washers are also great for removing stains and mold from hardscaping, such as asphalt patios, driveways and walkways.
"Kitty litter in the driveway will absorb the oil and grease stains (Then remove the kitty litter)."
A chemical compound can be used if your roof shows mold patches or streaks. You may also want to consider applying a grease remover to the carport’s floor if your home has one. Don’t forget to clean the windows and open the shades!
The most important impression you want your home to convey is that it is clean and well-maintained. First, minimize or do away with yard clutter, lawn ornaments, grills, furniture, yard tools or toys. If you have an asphalt driveway, fill cracks and apply a fresh coat of sealer. If your home’s exterior paint is faded or in a dated color, invest in a fresh paint job in a neutral color scheme; one that fits both the home and the neighborhood.
Buy or rent a pressure washer and use it to give your home’s siding, brick and deck a good wash. Power washers are also great for removing stains and mold from hardscaping, such as asphalt patios, driveways and walkways.
"Kitty litter in the driveway will absorb the oil and grease stains (Then remove the kitty litter)."
A chemical compound can be used if your roof shows mold patches or streaks. You may also want to consider applying a grease remover to the carport’s floor if your home has one. Don’t forget to clean the windows and open the shades!
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Call On Us!
We would be happy to take a look at your home and provide more suggestions about how you can enhance its curb appeal. There’s no obligation—just send us an email or give us a call at 602-295-6807! Troy Erickson | 602-295-6807
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