When selling a home, so much focus is placed on the interior to impress potential buyers. Fresh paint is applied, bathrooms are updated, professional staging is set up, and even scented candles and fresh flowers are laid out for open houses and showings. The painstaking care on the interior can all go to waste if potential buyers are turned off by your home’s exterior. To prevent your home from sitting on the market for months, due to an unattractive exterior, here are 5 Expert Ways to Add Curb Appeal to Sell Your Home Faster!
Get a Good Look at Your Exterior
From coming home from work every day to going outside to check the mail, you get so used to what your exterior looks like that you may be missing opportunities. Before putting your home on the market, or making any major changes, see what really needs to be done. Stand back from your house and take a good look at it. Is the yard full of sticks and leaves, do the flower beds look overgrown? What does the porch look like? Make a list of what needs to be cleaned up, repaired, or painted to present the best picture to your potential house buyers.
A Clean Exterior Adds Value Fast
Stained siding, dusty brick, and a dingy garage door all make a home look rundown and in poor condition. Before you make any changes to the exterior, the first thing you should do is pressure wash your house. Brighten up the exterior and see dollar signs because cleaning the exterior of the house can add up to $15,000 in the selling price. Whether you choose to rent a power washer or hire a professional team to remove the grime from your exterior, it’s an investment that will pay off!
Dress Up Your Front Door
When potential buyers come into the house, the first thing they interact with is the front door. What does your front door look like? If you have a storm door that is damaged or in poor condition, replace or repair it, and dress up an exterior door easily with a silver or brass door knocker and a new kickplate. If your home is located in a more artsy neighborhood then why not make your door pop with a bright, vibrant color such as teal, yellow, or deep fuschia. Create a visible, clean entrance which will allow for a more welcoming feel to the home.
Stage Your Patio or Porch
No matter what time of year you are selling, having a front porch should inspire potential buyers to picture themselves sitting there having a cup of coffee or watching the kids play in the yard. A bare and empty porch is ignored at best and an eyesore at worst. Let buyers see the potential of porches and patios by first cleaning the dirt and any cobwebs in the corners, and fill or repair any cracks in the concrete. One it’s clean, stage the area with a pleasant outdoor furnishings to create cozy sitting areas or add a porch swing.
Use Holidays to Your Advantage
If you are selling your home around Halloween or Christmas, you may be wondering if you should decorate or if it will turn away potential buyers. The answer really depends on how you decorate! Warm, welcoming seasonal décor will make buyers think of holidays spent in their new home. They’ll picture their kids trick-or-treating in the neighborhood and having Christmas morning there. However, over-the-top, graphic, or garish decorations will leave a bad taste in visitors’ mouths. Keep it subtle by using seasonal potted plants and natural elements such as pine garland or pumpkins rather than inflatable yard decorations and brightly lit displays.
