Curb appeal’s importance when it comes to selling a piece of property cannot be ignored. Even though most of your attention might rest on kitchen fixtures and structural soundness, how potential buyers view your yard and house matters. Figure out how to make your home look nice to most real estate shoppers, and you will enjoy a faster and more lucrative sale.
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What Is Curb Appeal
New luxury home with elegant touches including covered entrance, columns
All of the tasks that improve the exterior style of a property exist to create an emotional reaction in those interested in buying a new home. People need to feel connected to a house so they can imagine themselves living there.
Curb appeal focuses on this need and delivers a friendly, welcoming, attractive appearance that highlights the best features and quality of the property itself. For example, a well-placed landscape light draws the eye to a charming birdbath and prize-winning rosebush. PVC window boxes overflowing with vibrant blooms attract attention to the large, sparkling clean windows that let in a lot of natural light.
Not every home shopper comes to an open house or tours properties with a real estate agent at the start. Some drive by potential properties first. Curb appeal focuses on how good your house looks from the street. Like a book cover convinces a reader to pick up a book and read the blurb, curb appeal gets people to look closer.
How to Add Curb Appeal?
Beautiful home exterior during late spring season with clean landscape
Figuring out how to make your house look nicer has little to do with your personal tastes and sense of style. Pay attention to best practices and ideas from home design websites and current shows. Listen to your real estate agent. He or she might even have a professional home stager to help you.
In general, there are five ways to add curb appeal to any property:
- Repair and clean everything.
- Touch up or repaint trim, windows and doors.
- Add lighting to improve visibility.
- Improve landscaping health and style.
- Make things welcoming with accent décor.
Leave no wooden trim cracked, no brick crumbled and no moss, mildew or old birds’ nests ruining the appearance of your house. If your budget does not extend to replacing old stained walkways, consider power washing or resurfacing instead.
While painting the entire house may cost too much or take too much time, sprucing up the trim, window ledges, and front door all help improve curb appeal for less. Do not forget the mailbox and any planters or benches you have. Pick the right exterior house paint colors to enhance your curb appeal with the help of Gustafson Painting.
Clean existing lights and install brighter bulbs. Spend a little on solar-powered lanterns or landscape accent lamps for gardens and especially pathways. All the positive changes will mean little if no one can see them if they drive by late.
Remove dead, dying or scraggly trees, bushes and other plants. Add colorful annual flowers along paths, in pots near the door and in eye-catching window boxes. PVC window boxes last a long time and add a touch of real charm to any home. Lay down dark mulch in flower beds and borders.
What could be more welcoming than a welcome mat? Buy a new one for the front porch. While this may not be visible from the street, it is an essential part of making your property look great. Also, replace the mailbox for a newer model, add a chair or bench to the front porch if there is enough room and consider seasonal decorations like a pumpkin in the fall or a pine wreath in the winter.
Author Bio:
Matt Buquoi works at FlowerWindowBoxes.com, a company that offers premium-quality, no-rot flower window boxes and outdoor planters at affordable prices.