Curb Appeal Critical to Selling Home

Curb Appeal Critical to Selling Home

One of the frustrations of being a professional real estate agent is to make an appointment to show a home meeting all a buyer’s requirements only to have the buyer decide they don’t want to go inside because they don’t like the way a home looks from the street.  Here are some things you can do to get a potential buyer inside:

Walk to the street curb in front of your home, turn around and take inventory.  How does your home look from the street? Does your home have curb appeal?   Is all you can see shrubs and trees?  If the answer is yes, you have some yard work in your future.  Landscaping is supposed to enhance the appearance of your home, not hide your home from view.

Create a welcoming entry to the home. Making a good impression at the front door is an absolute must for home sellers.  If you paint nothing else, at least give the front door a fresh coat of paint.  Replace broken doorbells, screens, and light fixtures.  Sweep the porch and knock away the spider webs.  Get an attractive welcome mat for people to wipe their feet on as they enter the home. Go to Home Depot or Pikes and buy ready to go pot planted with colorful annuals and place it by the front door for some color. Curb appeal is all about buyer chemistry and your entry is the most critical element in the bonding process.

Help home buyers get a good look at your house.  Prune back overgrown shrubs so that they are no higher than the bottom of the windows.  Cut tree limbs so that they don’t block the view of your home and there is room for you to walk under them. Vines growing up the side of your home should be pulled off.  Pull out vines, especially English ivy, and undergrowth from shrub beds so they look neat and clean. Fresh pine straw and mulch will make those beds look fresh and inviting.

Flower power will give your home listing special mojo in the housing beauty contest. Weed your flower beds and use Roundup or a weedeater edger to make a distinct border between grass lawns and beds.  Plant several flats of blooming annuals to give your landscape some pop. I like easy to grow petunias (summer), mums (fall), and pansies (winter) because they produce color throughout the growing season.  Great color equals great curb appeal.

The commercial where the man says “feed your lawn” is a personal favorite.  Home sellers need to show their lawns some love.  Make your lawn must look like someone cares about it.  Call me for a list of professionals who can cut and edge your lawn.  Please rake the leaves and put fresh pine straw in the beds.  The actual shrubs and plants in your lawn are not as important as having it well-maintained. Lawn love will go a long ways towards upping your curb appeal score.  Walter Reeves – the Georgia Gardener – is the man if you need help with how to fix your lawn problems.

Small accessories make home buyers fall in love with the outdoor part of your home. Hanging baskets, flower pots, and even a small birdfeeder can add tremendous curb appeal to your home. Pick up a couple of colorful all weather cushions or pillows for your outdoor furniture while you are at it. Buyers moving from apartments are especially good targets for this “outdoor” marketing.