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Creating curb appeal is essential to attracting interest in your home. How your home looks from the road is so persuasive that a well-prepared house may catch the attention of buyers who did not find the written description particularly compelling, or a neglected house can cause a buyer previously excited by a printed or online marketing listing a specific desired feature to cruise right on by. Try it. Go out into your street and look — I mean really look — at your home and see if you can spot any imperfections. Is it appealing, pristine, and well-kept, or are there necessary repairs that you have been putting off? After you’ve lived in a home for a long while, you’re not likely to examine it objectively. Listen to suggestions from real estate experts, your friends and/or potential home buyers about how you can make your house show better. Then, take a drive around your neighborhood and surrounding area and see which homes for sale appeal to you and note why. Well- tended houses with trimmed bushes, groomed lawns, attractive landscaping, and a “grand entrance” (discussed shortly) will be more impressive than homes with an unkempt walkway, uncut grass, and a paint-peeling front door. The outside appearance of a property needs to be an invitation to come inside. Potential homebuyers are drawn to welcoming entries and uncluttered yards. They are unlikely to be attracted to a home with dead shrubbery and a weather-worn exterior. It is no stretch to think a buyer will believe the home is neglected on the inside as well. Look at your home as a prospect would. Drive up to the curb and take inventory of everything that needs attention. Simple improvements like weeding, trimming, and window washing can improve the appearance of a home with little to no expense. Repair and repainting are costlier, but often tell in time-to-sale or sale price. Low-cost investments like power washing the house and concrete, repainting trim, and adding landscaping also give your house more curb appeal. The goal here is to get more money for your home. Homebuyers generally aren’t interested in a home that needs work unless you want to sell below market value.
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