The street view of your house is the first thing potential buyers see. This may sound obvious but the importance of it cannot be emphasised enough.
Your house’s curb appeal is the very first deciding factor when buyers look for a house and the better the first impression, the higher your chances will be of selling!
If home buyers like what they see from the start, they might even view the property immediately instead of adding it to their “view later” list, or simply driving off and forgetting about it.
So how does one enhance the curb appeal of a house to entice and interest possible future owners?
Here are the 3 main ways to enhance the curb appeal when selling your home:
(1) Enhance the curb appeal by keeping up with maintenance
During the showing period, it helps to keep everything in perfect presentable condition and to make sure that it appears clean:
- This means removing any building rubble or trash, keeping the dustbin out of view and sweeping the driveway.
- Plants, if you have a garden, are the main focus when it comes to upkeep and there are things that should be done in addition to the seasonal gardening maintenance. Weeding, mowing of the lawn and edge cutting should be done regularly and trimming or replacement of dead plants is a good idea.
- Give your garden an additional lift through nutrients such as bone meal, compost or fertiliser. With your garden at its most attractive, there is a much higher chance of interest from buyers.
In addition to these suggestions, think of other details as well:
- During the holiday season, be very realistic about how tasteful your holiday decorations look to an outside party.
- Do you have any outdated signs on your wall that need to be removed, like that “Danger – Big Dog” plaque that have been there since before you moved in?
- Try to regard your house in the way you imagine a buyer or outside person would and see it as a complete picture whilst still paying attention to the finer details.
Once you are satisfied with the way it looks, you can shift your thoughts to the remainder of the selling procedure.
(2) Enhance the curb appeal by renovating your home
Once you’ve managed to check off that maintenance list discussed above, it might be worth your while to “spend some, to make some – more”.
Some basic home renovations would include:
- Adding additional features to your house’s exterior is a great way to boost its appearance and the extent of said improvements and new additions can easily be determined by how much money you wish to spend.
- Repainting the exterior in a less outdated shade or adding a burst of unexpected colour to the front door can make a big impact.
- Placing containers or window boxes with beautiful flowers, adding a water feature and outdoor lighting or doing a spot of landscaping can also bring a fresh feel to the setting.
- Doing something small and inexpensive can also be impactful, such as placing a bench under a tree or getting a new mailbox.
Keep in mind that the investments will be for the benefit of future owners, not for yourself, so stay within your budget.
(3) Enhance the curb appeal by repairing your home
You really don’t have to break the bank to spruce up your house:
- That being said, if there is a state of disrepair to it that can be bettered, this would be your first priority.
- Ensuring that roof tiling is mended, touching up flaked or discoloured paint and repairing loose gutters can make a tremendous difference with very little effort. To save even more, consider doing these tasks yourself instead of getting in a professional.
- Fixing holes in fences, replacing cracked walkway stones and repairing chipped wood features will not only look more pleasing but can also add to the value of your home and ensure that you get your asking price.
These three method to enhance the curb appeal each comes with its price, whether it be time and/or money, depending how much work there is to be done. Or how much you’d like to improve your home’s current presentation!
Bottomline is that any potential home buyer will very likely take the next step if you’ve already won their first impression thanks to your home’s curb appeal!
If you’ve enjoyed this article, why not share it across your social media platforms, so others can benefit from it as well? Feel free to REPIN the image below:
