Would You Honestly Buy Your Own House in its Current Condition?
Many people don’t know it, but you can increase the price of the closing sale from between 4 to 5 percent by enhancing your home’s curb appeal.
Keeping your yard and landscape maintained is one of the most important things you can do when selling your home. Studies have shown that curb appeal can increase the value of a home by 4 to 5 percent. Homes with poor curb appeal in neighborhoods with excellent landscaping sold for 8 to 10 percent less than the going market rate. First impressions count not only for buyers but for the appraisers that do the appraisals on your property and the real estate agents showing it. Take care of your lawn and invest in some quality landscaping clean-up and a few enhancements to spruce up your property to give it more eye-appeal for those stopping by to have a look. A well-maintained lawn will encourage them to stop and look at the house, or just drive on past if the yard is in disarray.
A large percentage of home buyers decide whether or not to look inside a house or take it seriously based on its curb appeal. What they see as a first impression when they drive by or arrive for a showing be greatly affected on whether they’ll want to come inside your house when you spend some time making the exterior much more presentable.
It’s difficult to look at our own house the same way a potential home buyer would, because when we all have become accustomed to the way something looks and functions. We become complacent and no longer see the disrepair and faults. If you’re serious about selling, make the decision to thinking of your property as a house and home . . . look at it now a commodity you want to sell for every dollar possible; and as quickly as possible.
Starting With the Front Yard
Before setting out on a landscaping journey, you must have a design plan. Sit down with paper and pencil and sketch out how you would like the garden to look as if you were the buyer. Get some professional advice or use the plethora of gardening magazines at the supermarket to get some ideas. Even if you aren’t thinking about doing the entire yard now at once, plan it in phases before listing your house for sale. Especially if it’s going to take a while, depending on how long it may have been neglected.
Stick to the Budget
Work with a budget. Decide how much you have to spend, because it’s easy to get overly enthusiastic. Once you have mapped out your yard, determine if it is worth involving a professional landscapers or not; at least to review your design. If you want to carry out any structural changes, discuss them with a licensed engineer.
Imagine How It Will Look
Before you do the actual planting, lay your plants out in their prospective places so you can see the finished picture. Be sure you leave enough room between the plants even if your garden is small. It’s better to have room enough for them to grow than to have to weed them out when they mature.
Clean It Op Before Listing Your House
If you already have a well maintained garden, spruce it up before putting your home on the market. There are several things that can be done to add some interest and enhancements. Make sure the grass is cut, edged and trimmed on a regular basis and the bushes, shrubs and hedges trimmed; and don’t forget to prune the trees. If you haven’ the time, hire a professional to do it for you, it will be well worth the expense. Clean out the beds to eliminate any weeds or dead annuals. It is amazing the difference it will make on the appearance of your home. A well maintained yard is like a huge neon “welcome” that tells buyers everything has been properly maintained on this property.
Add Some Color
Adding a splash of color is another simple way to make your home inviting and attractive for potential buyers. Flowers are a good way to say “welcome, come on in.” If you decide to plant flower beds, focus on areas like the corners of sidewalks, the bottom of porch steps or around your mailbox. Another great way to add color to your home is to add window flower boxes to a few windows on the front of your house. This inexpensive touch will go a long way to add warmth and charm to your home. If you have a deck or patio, adding large urns with annual flowers planted it will give them an impression of an outdoor room.
More useful Tips
If you add anything to your home, ask yourself first “Is it necessary? or Will it help me sell the house quicker? AND make sure whatever you add will be useful to the new homeowner (like a bench or gate). Avoid installing things like waterfalls and ponds; instead, consider putting in an irrigation system, a patio area, fencing, decking, or seating area; nor does it have to be pretentious to have a positive visual effect. Potential homeowners can envision themselves using these things and enjoying them for years. to come.
The next time you come home, stop across the street or far enough down the driveway to get a good view of the house and its surroundings. • What is your first impression of the house and yard area? Take photos of the home’s exterior. If you have a digital camera, view the color versions first, then remove the color and look at it in black and white, because it’s easier to see problems when color isn’t around to affect our senses. Make a list of the problem areas you discovered. Tackle clean up and repair chores first, then put some time into projects that make the grounds more attractive. • Kill mold and mildew on the house, sidewalks, roof, or driveway. Buyers doing a drive by will try their best to see your back yard. If it’s visible from another street or from someone’s driveway, include it in your curb appeal efforts. Don’t Forget about Evening Curb Appeal Do your curb appeal exercise again at dusk, because it isn’t unusual for potential buyers to drive by houses in the evening. One quick way to improve evening curb appeal is with lighting: • String low voltage lighting along your driveway, sidewalks, and near important landscaping elements. A Few Curb Appeal Tips • If you can budget it, a fresh paint job does wonders for a dingy house. Drive around your town to find color schemes that are appealing.A Curb Appeal Exercise
The Exercise
• What are the best exterior features of the house or lot? How can you enhance them?
• What are the worst exterior features of the house or lot? How can you minimize or improve them?
• Park where a potential buyer would and walk towards the house, looking around you as if it were your first visit. Is the approach clean and tidy? • What could you do to make it more attractive?
• Stow away unnecessary garden implements and tools.
• Clean windows and gutters.
• Pressure wash dirty siding and dingy decks.
• Edge sidewalks and remove vegetation growing between concrete or bricks.
• Mow the lawn. Get rid of weeds.
• Rake and dispose of leaves, even if your lot is wooded.
• Trim tree limbs that are near or touching the home’s roof.
• Don’t Forget the Rear View
• Add a decorative street lamp or an attractive light fixture to a front porch.
• Make sure lighting that’s visible through front doors and windows enhances the home’s appearance.
• Install a more attractive front door, maybe something with leaded glass inserts.
• If you can’t justify the cost of a new door, consider replacing plain doorknob hardware with something more attractive.
• If new hardware is beyond your budget, repaint or stain the door and polish the hardware?
• If you brainstorm, you’ll find that there’s a solution to most problems?one that lets you stay within your budget. The trick is to find the areas where improvements are needed, then work on them as best you can.
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1. Get out the power washer Your home has taken a beating over the winter. The front porch likely has a layer of dirt and salt scum, and the windows could probably use a good washing. Rent or borrow a power washer and give the exterior of your home a good cleaning. Go over the windows with cleaner and follow this spring-cleaning checklist to make sure everything is spotless. 2. Plant in Containers It might still be too cold in your part of the country to put annuals in the bed, but you can add life and color to your yard with container gardening. Buy some colorful pots and fill them with vibrant flowers. You can place pots on your front porch, going down your front steps or even in your flower beds. 3. Clean Out the Gutters 4. Add MulchCurb Appeal Suggestions
Things to Do
If you have leaves and sticks hanging out of your gutters from winter storms, drag out the ladder and clean them out. Your home must look trim and tidy, and dirty gutters are an eyesore to potential buyers.
Mulch always looks a bit sad after winter; it gets spread around and blown about. Adding a thick new layer of mulch can work wonders for your home’s curb appeal.0
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