Appealing To Your Buyers: From The Outside In

Tony D. 

Addressing your home's curb appeal is a critical component in marketing and selling your home. Realtors agree that curb appeal is one of the most important factors to consider when selling your home. It is a major component because it is the first impression for a potential home buyer.  Curb appeal is what gets someone out of a vehicle and up to the house to look at it. Curb appeal is a must in today's market. Curb appeal is a key factor and could make a difference in whether people stop and take a flyer, or drive right by.  Don’t forget to consider how your house looks at night. 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 well lit exterior helps show off your property, day and night.

If you're preparing to sell your home, there are a number of things that can be done to enhance the appearance and curb appeal that will draw more buyers. The simplest concept of curb appeal is to simply mow the lawn, make sure there isn't any junk laying around, and make sure the home is in good repair by fixing that porch light that's been hanging halfway off for the past two years.  However, in a slower market, which prevails in many communities now, a fuller understanding of curb appeal is important in retaining a competitive edge, especially if several similar or even identical homes are for sale in the same neighborhood or development.

Does the exterior of your house look inviting enough that, even if the interior isn’t all that great, the buyer might still consider buying the house?  It is the first impression and appeal from the curb that will attract potential home buyers into your house.  The first thing potential buyers see when they drive by your home is the exterior.  And the first impression that potential buyers will get is from the street or driveway.  It's well known that potential buyers make up their minds in the first few minutes of seeing a home.  Fortunately, unless you’re living in the neighborhood spook-house, there are plenty of quick and easy ways to spruce up your home and give potential buyers a reason to come inside.

If you have only a little money to spend, focus on the landscaping. Landscaping is vitally essential for sprucing up the appearance of your home.  Front yard landscaping to create curb appeal is the first place to start. Try landscaping areas of your front yard to make it stand out from surrounding yards without being totally out of place from the rest of the neighborhood. The better the overall appearance of your yard and house looks the better your chances of attracting a buyer. Just taking some trimmers to the bushes and hedges along the house can make a huge difference. Edge the lawn, sidewalks, gardens and driveways.  If the house is vacant, hire a neighbor or a local handy person to water several times a week and to pull up weeds; pick up those free newspapers in the driveway; and remove all those ad flyers for one free extra large pizza. The ROI for landscaping is huge, suggesting that you may potentially double your investment. Weeding, edging, mulching and replanting flower beds creates a fresh new look for your landscapes.  Studies show that a majority of buyers will not get out their car if they do not find your home's exterior and landscape visually appealing.

Now that your landscape is in shape, decide what, if anything, you need to do to the exterior of your home.  Do not ignore the exterior of the house itself. You should freshen up the exterior and make it current with today’s styles.  Making the right exterior decor choices and performing the right type of repairs can give your home curb appeal that causes buyers to stare in awe when they arrive.  Since the exterior of the property is the first thing buyers are going to see, whether it's online in a photo or during a "drive-by", you've got to get your home's street presence into shape before you list your home for sale.  How you maintain and design your home's exterior is as important as its interior.  A well-kept and maintained exterior hints of a homeowner who is aware of his surroundings and takes time to tend to things of value. You must make sure everything on the exterior of your home, from the street to your doorstep, is looking its best.  So, even if you can't afford to paint the entire exterior, get that front yard and entry into tip-top shape before putting your house on the market.

The exterior of your home offers a first impression of your house and your style. In conjunction with the landscaping, the exterior has the ability to make or break the first appearance. In other words, the exterior of your home is the first impression that buyers have in many cases and they will drive on to the next house on the list if the exterior is not appealing.  Adding things like shutters to the exterior of your property or repainting trim on each window can make your home look worlds different.  If shutters flow with the exterior style of your house, install them beside all of the front windows and any other windows that are visible from the street.  In good shape, they add another dimension to the brick, stone, or other exterior finish. With more people doing “drive-bys” and looking at listings on the web, it has become vital to have an attractive exterior.  Buyers tend to associate the condition of the exterior and landscape with the condition of the interior so make sure the exterior is crisp, clean and eye catching.

There's nothing like a fresh coat of paint to revive a tired, worn out look.  And since the porch and the front door are the first part of the house buyers will actually visit, make sure it looks freshly painted and new. The windows should be sparkling clean if you want to sell your home, and the trim around them should be freshly washed and painted.

It's difficult to look at your own house in the same way that potential home buyers do, because when we become accustomed to the way something looks and functions, we can't see its faults.  I suggest you park where a potential buyer would and walk towards the house, looking around you as if it were your first visit. Take a note book and write down everything you see that could stand some improvement. Be brutally honest with yourself or ask a friend to do it for you.  Do your curb appeal exercise again at dusk, because it isn't unusual for potential buyers to drive by houses in the evening. Your home will look completely different at night than it does in daylight. If your walkways are poorly lit or your street address can not be seen a buyer may totally miss your house.

Consider these tips to enhance your home’s curb appeal:

1-   Hang a decorative flag out front.

2-   Replace a worn concrete path with attractive paving stones or brick. 

3-   If you can't justify the cost of a new door, consider a fresh coat of paint and replacing plain doorknob hardware with something more decorative and attractive. 

4-   Depending on your home's exterior finishing, you might consider painting the door a color that complements the color of the trim, rather than matching it. 

5-   Add colorful seasonal plants to existing flower beds. If you don’t have the time or skills to make repairs or spruce up the garden yourself, consider hiring a handyman, gardening service or pool service to visit your home a few times before you list it and while it is on the market.

6-   If you're selling in spring, summer or fall, or if you live in a warm-weather climate, consider putting a couple of beautiful wicker rocking chairs on your front porch to create the illusion of days gone by. 

7-   If your mailbox is old or not that attractive, consider painting it, or purchasing a fancy new one.

8-   Make sure lighting that's visible through front doors and windows enhances the home's appearance.

9-   Make sure gutters and down spouts are clean and neat and consider replacing ones that are in need of serious repair.

10- Clean the windows. Clean windows show you care about your home’s appearance.

11- Add a new welcome mat.

12- Place flower pots with freshly planted annuals on either side of the door.

Try to think of your home’s appearance as a form of advertising.  In some homes, especially newer homes, the garage door can take up as much as 40 percent of the home's  exterior appearance.  A garage door can make or break the home's appearance so choose wisely when replacing or repairing one.  Not everything stands out as prominently as a garage door but even the smallest details such as gutters, flower beds and even trim work can have a dramatic affect on the appearance and value of a home. Cleaning the mildew off a mailbox or replacing a damaged one is inexpensive and can make a big difference on the exterior appearance of your home. Along with a fabulous new door or fancy new hardware, this can have an amazing impact on a home's appearance.  A well-cared-for roof, a neat paint job, handsome windows, decorative shutters and a manicured garden add to a home's appearance and, hence, its curb appeal.

A fresh coat of paint, a few flowers on the porch and a well-kept lawn make a great first impression with potential buyers. Spend time and/or money on things potential house buyers can see.  The potential buyer may never give themselves the opportunity to view the inside of your home if the outside does not provide a positive first impression worth remembering.   Add a new welcome mat and fresh potted flowers to welcome your guests inside.  If the exterior of the house and the yard are tidy and well maintained, prospective purchasers walk in with a pleasant feeling of expectation that the interior will match up.

If you're seeking to enhance the curb appeal of your home, remember: don't ignore your roof.  The roof accounts for 40 to 60 percent of the exterior view of your home.  A roof in need of repair could be the deal breaker for a quick sale.  Roof shingles that have gone missing, overgrown hedges and bare patches in the mulch beds can also put a kink in great curb appeal.  Trim tree limbs that are near or touching the home's roof.  in a sellers market some real estate agents may advise you not to add a new roof.  But a complete and first class curb appeal remodeling job needs a new roof, gutters and downspouts.  Asphalt shingle roofs, available in multidimensional textures and decorator colors, are the most economical.  For a unique look without the cost of slate, one of the most expensive roofing products, consider simulated slate shingles. Buyers will perceive there’s something different about the house because the roof material appears more substantial and upscale. But those costs are recoverable: according to the National Association of Realtors’ value of housing characteristics study, the look of a slate or cedar shake roof can add up to 27 percent to the selling price of a home.  A roof in need of repair can really hinder the sale of a home.  Don't be tempted to limit roof repairs to cosmetic work.  Cutting corners in this manner could be disastrous if a home inspection finds the roof to be worn and old.  Cracked, curled or missing shingles signal that the roof is past its prime.  If the roof looks dull, replacing the shingles can breathe new life into the house.  Also, although it's expensive, do not underestimate the buyer perceived value of a new roof.

Are there oil stains in your driveway? The driveway is another good area to focus on.  Pressure wash and clean: walls, driveways and sidewalks to remove stains, debris and cobwebs. Small things such as pressure washing a driveway, sidewalk or walkway to your home can give your home a bright, clean look.  Re-sealing your asphalt driveway makes a huge difference in how your house looks.  New sidewalks, driveways and other non-landscaped surfaces help pave the way to curb appeal. If a buyer drives up and sees a cracked driveway and landscape beds with grass and weeds, they will not have a high expectation on the overall maintenance of the house. They will then be on the look out for every possible flaw which, in their mind, adds up to added expenses for fix-up. This will dramatically reduce their offer price, if they make an offer at all.

Curb appeal is the first impression a buyer gets from your home's appearance, and it is vital that you do certain things to prepare your house before you show it.  For this reason, curb appeal is not an add-on it’s the starting point.  As superficial as it may sound, curb appeal is a dominant factor in getting sales.  A couple of weekends of effort and a few hundred dollars later will bring potentially tens of thousands of dollars of value to your home.  Attending to these details, could be difference between having your home a short time on the market and maximize potential for a top sales price or lagging on the market begging for a price reduction from potential buyers.

You can help make sure potential buyers want to come inside your house by spending some time working on its exterior appearance. A clean and neat exterior will let the potential buyer know that you have kept the house in good repair.  Remember, first impressions are everything and can easily be what makes a potential buyer come back to your home during their home search.