In the current real estate market, a lot of attention has been given to staging a home to help it sell. I am a big fan of staging, but think curb appeal is even more important. After all, it doesn’t matter how nice your home looks on the inside if buyers drive up, take a look at the outside and drive on. Here are some simple ideas to create curb appeal for your home:
- Make sure the outside looks clean and fresh. Remove cob webs and brush off dirt and bugs from outside walls.
- Pressure clean walk-ways, pool patios, fences.
- Paint any exterior that looks drab or dirty.
- Remove weeds and dead leaves from plant beds. Fill in bare spots with new plants and lay down a fresh layer of mulch.
- Re-asphalt driveway
- Paint or stain front door.
- Thoroughly clean all outdoor light fixtures and make sure the bulbs are working.
Even if you are not selling your home, these small fixes can make your home inviting to your friends and make you fall in love with it all over again! If you are a buyer or investor, look at homes that don’t have curb appeal. Most likely they have been on the market longer than homes in the neighborhood that do and you can get them for less than you would a house that has a pleasing exterior. Once the house is yours, you can add curb appeal and reap the benefits. Your cost to create appeal should be minimal compared to the savings you got on the purchase.
