First impressions matter. Sellers in today’s market have to make their houses stand out from the crowd to capture the attention of potential buyers. Investing in improvements to the exterior of the house could add value to your sale at the signing table. 

Curbside Apparel

In a buyer’s market, you need to make your home as attractive as possible. Read on to find out why curb appeal for selling a house is so crucial.

What Is Curbside Appeal?

Curb appeal refers to the general attractiveness of your home from the sidewalk or street. If your property doesn’t create a great first impression, potential buyers are more likely to move on to another home for sale.

A potential buyer will weigh up how good your home looks in comparison to other neighboring houses. You need your home to stand out for all the right reasons.

Curb appeal is a bit like the frosting on the cake. If you’re presented with a plate of sweet treats to choose from, you’re more likely to pick the one that looks the most tempting. The same rule applies to houses.

Does Curbside Appeal Add Value to Your Home?

When a home has attractive landscaping, curb appeal can increase its perceived home value by up to 11 percent. Curb appeal houses will also sell more quickly. 

The simple fact is that making your house more attractive from the outside is a good investment. It’s likely to cost you far less than the perceived increase in its value. 

What you need to know is how to maximize curb appeal for selling your house. Once you have some tips and recommendations, you’ll be well on your way to making your home stand out in a buyer’s market.

How to Boost Curbside Appeal

As with most things in life, the devil is in the details with success dependent on the amount of preparation you carry out. Here are some of the key pointers that you need to consider when boosting your home’s curb appeal:

  • A freshly painted front door
  • A clean driveway
  • Landscaping curb appeal starts with decluttering
  • A well-maintained and attractive roof
  • Greener lawns with freshly planted flower beds
  • Improved fencing
  • Newly decorated exteriors
  • Clean windows
  • Accent pots and plants next to the front door
  • Modern, attractive-looking signage and mailbox
  • Tidy, well-maintained gutters
  • Improved exterior lighting

Our recommendations will take you through some of these key areas so that you can decide which will have the greatest impact on your home.

Tips to Improve Your Home’s Curb Appeal

Sprucing up the outside of your home takes time, but it doesn’t need to break the bank. Here’s a more detailed look at some of the ways you can increase curb appeal for selling a house.

A Color Boost For the Front Door

When it comes to first impressions, the front door is one of the most important parts of your home’s entryway. If it’s not looking its best, potential buyers may wonder how well maintained the rest of your home is.

Give your front door a color boost with some fresh, quality paint. You could even consider installing a new wooden door for a more rustic feel. Make sure you’re on top of the cleaning by removing fingerprints and keeping knobs and locks sparkling.

Improve the look of the porch area by giving it a fresh coat of paint and placing attractive planters on either side.

Keeping the Driveway Sparkling Clean

It might sound obvious but power washing the driveway can make or break a first impression. 

The outside of your house is the first point of contact for the sun, rain, and pollution. You should ensure you give all paths and driveways a deep clean. You should remove any weeds from cracks as well as any unsightly moss. 

A power wash will give exterior concrete and paving a well-deserved lift and keep them from looking grimy and tired. 

Fresh Landscaping for Curb Appeal

This often all starts with an attractive lawn. Make sure you mow the grass regularly. Remove all debris, fallen leaves, twigs, or small branches. Use a specialist rake or machine to air the lawn properly.

You should reseed any worn areas. Water the lawn and feed it with fertilizer so that you keep it healthy and green. Trim back any overhanging trees and bushes. Keep hedges neat and, if you have several, make sure they are all at an even height. 

Place pots with colorful plants which match your freshly painted front door on either side of the entranceway. The smell of lavender is relaxing and appealing. It’s a good choice of plant to place next to your home’s entrance along with a small herb garden. 

You might also want to consider the following landscaping ideas:

  • An improved pathway to the front door with wider flowerbeds and quality paving
  • Strategically placing a bench for a pleasant place to sit and drink a coffee or read
  • If you have a pool area, place decorative planters in the surrounding area
  • Creating a barbecue area with an attractive outdoor table and chairs
  • Use mulch on flower beds to keep them looking neat and tidy

Always make sure the size of plants and pots is in keeping with the size of the property. 

Lights, Camera, Action!

Landscape lighting brings the outside of a home to live in the evenings. It also lengthens the time during which you can enjoy spending time outdoors. It’s worth installing extra lighting and letting potential buyers know about it.

Always make sure that there is an outside light at the front door. It’s an important feature to show that someone is home and ready to welcome their next guests.  

Outside lighting also has security benefits. It makes walking along paths at night safer, for example. If you place uplights in carefully selected places, you’ll be able to show off your favorite flower beds and shrubs.

Installing the right lighting is particularly important if you have water features. Everyone loves seeing a pool lit up at night. 

You could also add wall-mounted downlights to bring a relaxing mood if you have a pool. Solar-powered accent lights can also bring a little drama to any new planters placed in your pool area. 

Careful, Regular Maintenance

Your roof is likely to be your home’s single biggest feature. It can make up over half of the visible exterior of your property. Some buyers will look at it as a design feature that will have a bearing on their judgment of your home.

Always make sure that the roof looks well-maintained. That starts with ensuring there are no missing tiles and that it looks clean and well cared for. You should inspect your home’s roof regularly.

Nothing is more off-putting to a potential buyer than shabby paintwork and poor guttering. They’re signs that homeowners may not have been looking after the home properly. 

At times when it is a buyer’s market, it’s essential to make sure that everything on the outside of your home looks as though it has been well cared for.

You should make sure that you have looked after the following issues on the outside of your home:

  • The removal of any peeling paint 
  • Filling any cracks or holes in the exterior surfaces
  • Freshly painting the outside of the house when it is looking tired and worn
  • Ensuring you fix guttering well to all walls and roofs
  • All drains are clean, unblocked, and free of weeds
  • Windows are bright, clean, and sparkling from the outside and inside
  • Paintwork around windows is fresh and unchipped
  • All external screws and fixtures are free of rust 

A Few New Fixtures and Fittings

One feature you’re likely to be checking regularly is your mailbox. If yours is looking shabby and outdated, replace it with something more modern and attractive. 

The mailbox is one of the first fixtures a potential buyer might see. It’s therefore important that it looks clean and new.

If your home has a name, make sure the sign looks attractive and that you fix it properly to external walls. 

Why Curbside Appeal Is Important In a Buyer’s Market

Competition can be fierce for those selling a home, especially at times when it’s a buyer’s market. Anything you can do to improve your chances of selling will help. 

Potential buyers are likely to look at curbside appeal houses more favorably. Attention to detail is important. It can make all the difference to drawing a buyer in so that they don’t simply move on to the next property without considering yours. 

Contact A and N Mortgage For More Tips

If you follow our top tips for improving curb appeal, you’re more likely to sell your home quickly and for a higher price. Improving curb appeal is all about the little touches and finer details. 

With careful landscaping, curb appeal is going to draw in home seekers at a time when it’s a buyer’s market. 

We know there are plenty of ways to increase curb appeal for selling a house and make the outside of your home more attractive. Contact us to discuss which improvements should be most important to you. 

A and N Mortgage Services Inc, a mortgage banker in Chicago, IL provides you with high-quality home loan programs, including FHA home loans, tailored to fit your unique situation with some of the most competitive rates in the nation. Whether you are a first-time homebuyer, relocating to a new job, or buying an investment property, our expert team will help you use your new mortgage as a smart financial tool.

About The Author

Neena Vlamis, President of A and N Mortgage

Hi, I’m Neena Vlamis and I am the President and Owner of A and N Mortgage. I have ranked in the Top 200 per Scotsman Guide Magazine for many years in a row and have been a Five Star winner consecutively for the last thirteen years. My razor-sharp focus has led the company to an A+ Better Business Bureau rating since its inception.

Learn More
This entry was posted in homebuying. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.