Great curb appeal not only makes your home the star of the neighborhood, it can also improve its value and help you sell it for more. Whether you’re thinking of listing your home or just want to make your home the envy of your neighbors, here are several quick ways to increase your home’s curb appeal.
#1 Make your home’s exterior look like new
For many potential buyers, the condition of the exterior of a home can offer clues to the condition of the interior. The first place to boost your home’s value is the exterior of your house.
Paint
Paint is the best way to make your home appear newer. While you can paint your home yourself, if it’s large or more than one story, consider hiring a professional. Painting is a fairly inexpensive improvement with one of the highest returns on your investment.
Siding
Over time, weather and the elements can make your home’s siding appear dull and dirty. Use a pressure washer to clean stains, spider webs and accumulated dirt and grime. Try a soft cloth and a household cleaner to get into those small nooks and spaces. Although the average life expectancy of siding ranges from 60 to 100 years, depending on the material, extreme weather may reduce this number. If you need to replace the siding, you’ll enjoy a 77 percent return on investment.
Garage Doors
If your garage doors are in good condition, give them a new coat of paint. If they’re beginning to show their age, consider replacing them. Not only are new garage doors more energy efficient and better insulated than older models, they also have a 91.5 percent return on investment.
Fencing
Replace rotted or worn posts and panels and freshen up your fence with a coat of paint. If you have a hedge or large shrubs along your fence, keep them trimmed and in good shape.
#2 Pay attention to the small details
The small details tie your home’s exterior together and help it stand out from others in the neighborhood.
Front Door and Trim
Painting your front door and trim is an inexpensive improvement that adds brightness to a home, whether you choose a bold color, a neutral tone or classic white.
Door Fixtures
Install new door fixtures that match in style and finish, and complement the style of your home.
House Numbers
Make sure potential buyers and guests can find your home. If your house numbers have faded or need an update, replace them. If choosing a metallic finish, make sure it matches the finish of your exterior light fixtures.
#3 Tend to your driveway and lawn
Well-landscaped homes may sell for between 5.5% and 12.7% more than other similar homes and studies show it may also add up to 28 percent to your home’s overall value.
Driveway or Walkway Border
Place a border along your driveway or walkway made of brick, stone, pavers or another hardscape element. This will add visual interest to what is usually plain concrete.
Green Space
If you have grass, a well-maintained, green lawn makes your home look inviting and picturesque. However, in many parts of the country, water conservation is becoming more important. Xeriscaped landscapes incorporate drought-tolerant vegetation that thrives in warm, dry climates, such as lavender, sage, wisteria and agave, with water-saving drip irrigation and mulch. Xeriscaping has a cost savings of 36 cents per square foot annually through reduced irrigation and maintenance costs. Additionally, these landscapes are virtually maintenance free, which makes it an attractive option for busy buyers.
Trees and Shrubs
Include trees and shrubs to create texture and add interest to your landscape. Planting a few types of trees and shrubs of varying heights, widths and flowering times boosts your home’s curb appeal year-round.
#4 Make it feel inviting
It’s no secret that emotions play a role in a person’s decision to purchase a home. Stage the outside of your home to evoke warm feelings.
Stoop and Porch
Make your front stoop or porch feel more inviting by including seating, such as a chair or love seat, an outdoor rug and a small table. If space is an issue, incorporate small decorative touches, such as a festive wreath or potted plant.
Flower Boxes
Hang flower boxes on your front porch railings or below your windows. If you don’t want to affix flower boxes to your home, purchase nice planters and containers and place them around your porch or on your front steps.
Year-Round Color
Choose plants that bloom at different times of the year for year-round appeal. Because of our mild weather, you can find perennials that flower all seasons of the year and don’t require you to have to replant them annually. Bulbs work great as fillers. They not only make a seasonal display, but will multiply and come back every year.
Low Maintenance Plants and Flowers
If you don’t have a green thumb, choose low maintenance plants and flowers. Flowers such as lavender, rosemary, and sage are a few low-maintenance and drought-tolerant options.
#5 Boost your online curb appeal
For those interested in selling, it’s important to know the effect online curb appeal has on a home. The better impression your home gives online, the more likely buyers will want to see it in person. Here’s how to get your home ready for its listing debut.
Staging
Stage your home to make it aesthetically pleasing and help potential buyers picture themselves living there.
Professional Photos
Hire a professional to take photos. A photographer has the skills and equipment to shoot your home in the best light and show off its strengths.
Virtual or Video Tour
Include a short virtual or video tour of your home. Videos and virtual tours are becoming a popular way to give buyers a glimpse of the home before they step foot in it.
Before you start a home project, keep these four things in mind
Why are you renovating?
Is your intention to update your home so you can live in it for many happy years, or do you want to get it ready to sell for top dollar? Even if you plan to stay in your home long term, be careful your renovations aren’t too personalized. You may have to undo them before you sell.
Major renovations tend to not have as high a return as minor, less expensive ones. If your home is in good shape, a few inexpensive updates may be enough to make your home attractive to buyers.
What is your neighborhood’s style?
Whenever you renovate your home, make sure the project fits with the style of the neighborhood and rules of the homeowners’ association. For example, an HOA may limit the choice of colors you can use to paint your home’s exterior.
Do you need permits?
If you’re planning an extensive renovation, you may need a permit from your city or from your county if you are not within a city’s boundaries.
What is your budget?
A budget keeps your project’s costs and scope in check. Make a list of the improvements you’d like to complete, set a realistic budget and stick to it. If you’d like advice on improvements you can make to boost your home’s curb appeal, give me a call.
Are you thinking of boosting your home’s curb appeal or renovating your home before you sell it? Do you want help making your home more appealing to potential buyers online and in-person? Give me a call and I’ll help you present your home in its best light so you can get top dollar.