In this world of swiping left or right with hand held smart devices a house without pleasing curb appeal won’t even be considered.
After many years as a Realtor and selling multiple homes, I can honestly say curb appeal is one of the most important steps when selling your house. Let’s look at what curb appeal is and how it can help you sell your home quicker and in some case for more than the competition.
Why Curb Appeal is Important
Curb appeal is what your house looks like from the perspective of a person parked in front of your house. After the initial pictures to list your house, you should maintain the curb appeal until the house is under contract and sold.
People shop for houses so much different today than in the past. Perspective home buyers used to have to rely on Realtor listing books, magazines and newspapers. In a lot of cases the house was sold before the perspective buyer had a chance to look at it.
Today with the internet and hand held smart devices, as soon as a house is listed it’s description and photos show up on many websites at once including Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com and local Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Your smart device and computer can be set up to alert a buyer as soon as a new home is listed or if there is a change to a saved listing.
When it comes to buying a house, many people will judge a book by it’s cover. A potential buyer on a computer or smart device may skip a listing because it has less than desirable curb appeal. The front profile of the house is usually the cover photo on a home listing. The goal is for a potential home buyer to open the home listing and see the beautiful kitchen, new flooring, freshly painted walls and master bedroom suite that you paid a fortune to remodel.
When a prospective buyer has several houses they would like to view, the Realtor will typically ask them to take the time to drive by and make sure they like the neighborhood, area, and the look of the house. First impressions matter, so we need to get this right.
How to Create Great Curb Appeal
Here are some thing to consider when thinking about curb appeal:
Lawn – Keep the lawn mowed using a bag, edged and watered throughout the selling process. If needed, re-seed and use weed and feed to keep it green and healthy. I prefer the spray hose attachment type, easy and simple to use.
Shrubs and flower beds – keep them trimmed and weed free. Mulch is a good idea to make it look attractive, just don’t go overboard. Lowe’s, Home Depot and Tractor Supply have sales on large bags of mulch in the 2-3 dollar price range. Thy come in a variety of colors so pick something that goes well with the house. Several years ago, when I sold my house, bright red doors were in so we painted ours and used red mulch in the flower bed. Everyone loved the way it turned out and we had a full price accepted offer in 10 days.
Trees – Just like shrubs keep them trimmed and remove any dead branches. Ensure the branches aren’t close to the roof line of the house, insurance companies especially don’t like that. Keep the leaves raked up as much as possible during the selling process.
Roof – Check the appearance of the roof for loose shingles, discoloration, leaves, pine straw or anything else that sticks out. This is also a good time to check rain gutters and if there is mold or algae on the outer wall. I’ve actually seen little pine trees growing out of rain gutters.
Front Door – This is usually the focal point of the front of the house. It doesn’t take much to resurface or paint the front door. Make sure the door knob and dead bolt are in good condition and working.
Drive and Walk Ways – Clean these the best you can, a pressure washer makes them look like new. Grease and oil stains can be removed with store bought de-greasers. Cracks are common and there’s very little you can do about it. Larger cracks may have to be filled.
Windows and Window Trim – Ensure windows are cleaned, operating and trim is secured and not peeling paint.
Outside Walls – This could be easy if your house is vinyl or brick. A water hose or pressure washer can improve the looks if needed. If it’s in need of painting this is a major task and may need the help of a professional. Make sure there are house numbers that stand out on the house to make it easy to find.
Mailbox – Just ensure the box and post are in good shape. If it’s a fish head or favorite football team helmet design may want to think of replacing with a more basic box.
Lighting – Outdoor lighting is important, especially around walkways and flower beds, if it’s the time of year that gets dark early.
Fences – Make sure fences and gates are in good condition. Replace broken pickets and any other damage.
De-Clutter – If you have a lot of yard decorations and ornaments remove them and store for your new house. Just like the inside of your house the less clutter the better. Store hoses and any other yard maintenance material.
When looking at curb appeal don’t just consider what you like or think would increase appeal. Look around your neighborhood, new construction and places like Pinterest for ideas. Check out Post Shields for a fantastic list of 49 DIY ideas to enhance curb appeal.
Extra Benefits of Curb Appeal
The kitchen is still king but curb appeal can add 3%-5% to the value of your home according to this article from Consumer Reports. So a $250,000 house at 3% would be an additional $7,500 dollars. Well worth doing the extra.
Your house can sell faster than the competition if they ignore this important step. Home buyers have an idea or vision in their mind of what the entrance to their house should look like. You want to feed this fantasy not pop their bubble.
First impressions are extremely important to prospective home buyers. If the outside is clean and neat it gives the impression that the house is well cared for. This will entice more people to want to look at the interior of the house and make an offer.
Taking the time to improve the curb appeal of the house gives you the opportunity to discover possible problems that may be discovered during a home inspection like wood rot, termites, and pealing paint to name a few.
How Much Does it Cost
The exact cost is dependent on several factors:
- Current condition of exterior of the house
- Current condition of the lawn and flower beds
- How much will you do yourself-DIY
- Construction of home brick, vinyl, wood, Hardie board
- Does it need painting or pressure washing
Most lawn maintenance companies provide a service that will cut, edge, trim scrubs and basically beautify the front of your house for a set fee. The lawn service we use here in the Panhandle of Florida charges $300-$350.
If your house is brick or vinyl pressure washing will be the easiest and quickest way. That also goes for porches, driveways and walkways. It almost makes everything look new again. A decent pressure washer from Lowe’s or Home Depot is a little over $100.00
Depending on the time of year it is, Perennials and mulch are an inexpensive way to add color to your flower bed. Keep it simple and just add these small plants and flowers scattered throughout your flower bed with mulch. Pinterest, Lowe’s, Home Depot and Ace have many suggestions.
Liquid spray weed and feed is the cheapest, quickest and easiest way to treat your lawn. You don’t have to buy the spreader and deal with walking back and forth casting the pellets. You just attach it to your water hose and follow the instructions on the label.
Spruce up your front door. A quart of paint and good brush is less than $40 at your local hardware store. Light sanding and two coats of paint is always recommended on your front door.
YouTube has an unbelievable amount of how to videos, curb appeal suggestions and ideas. Most people learn better by watching someone demonstrate. If your not able to do what is required to give your house curb appeal, a good Handyman service should be able to complete everything on your list.
Picture perfect curb appeal is just one of several step in preparing your house to sell. The competition is usually tough so every little step in selling your house is worth it in the long run.