Curb Appeal & Selling Your Home

Posted on 3/22/2015 by Real Estate Agent Thomas (TJ) Underwood

Curb Appeal—Learn How to Sell Your Home Faster & at Top Dollar

 

As the 2015 Home Buying Season rapidly approaches many home sellers are contemplating putting their home on the market and move to another location.  Over the years we have seen many home owners successfully sell their home and there are certain areas of understanding (particularly curb appeal) that are very important to a successful sale.

 

Curb Appealor how your home looks upon arrival—is a critical component of selling your home and it will be discussed in a manner that can help you sell your home in a more timely manner and at a better market price.

 

It is important that you improve  the “curb appeal” of your home prior to putting your home up for sale if you desire to maximize your sales proceed and move to an area that you desire.  Even if you don’t plan on moving, improving the curb appeal of your home could be a worthwhile effort as it can provide you a more relaxing and entertaining environment that you can enjoy daily in your current environment.

 

It is important that you realize that the exterior of your home determines if many potential home buyers will even want to enter your home, therefore it is important that your exterior is in the best position possible because potential buyers form an opinion of the value of your home based on the exterior.  If the exterior is not up to par in a consumers mindthey will feel that the inside has been neglected even if it appears that there has been no neglect.

 

The curb appeal of your home is the first impression that a home buyer gets and it is important that the first impression is a positive one.  Many real estate agents often preview a home prior to showing the home and in some cases just a drive by is donebecause they realize that if the curb appeal does not meet the standards of their buyer they won’t even enter the house.  A poor curb appeal will also cause home appraisers to lower their value of the appraisal and if your home does not appraise at the selling price you may have to lower the price or renegotiate in some other manner.

 

Having said all of thatthere are things that you can do prior to putting your home on the market for sale that can dramatically improve the curb appeal of your home and get it sold faster and at top dollar.

 

You can do a combination of the following and start on a path to improving your finances significantly as a result of the sale:

 

  • Improve Your Landscaping

 

  • Clean Exterior of Home, Driveways, Walkways, Patios, Decks & Other Structures

 

  • Update By Painting

 

Improve Your Landscaping

 

Your curb appeal of your home is based upon the total picture that a home purchaser gets upon arrival to your home.  Is your lawn, shrubs and other features of your home such as flower beds, rock gardens and other creations on your property an additional feature worth considering paying extra for?  Is your vegetation pruned and is your grass neatly manicured?

 

If I look at your home from the street are there  trees and shrubs that are obscuring an otherwise beautiful landscape?   Does vegetation and trees dwarf your home making it appear smaller?  Are vegetation and trees located too close to the house and foundation?  Are there tree stumps on the property that obscure the true beauty of the home?

 

It is important that you realize that because you see your home everyday, you may not have an objective reality of how your home exists in the eyes of potential home purchasers!  Your siding, garage doors, windows, shutters and trimmingalong with other areasmay be in need of repair such as eaves and gutters and other hard to reach areas.

 

Clean Exterior of Home, Driveways, Walkways, Patios, Decks & Other Structures

 

It is important that you create a favorable impression that is caused by your landscaping, painting and overall cleanliness of your property.   However, if your driveways, walkways, patios, decks and other structures are not up to par you will be working in vain!  You must ensure that your sidewalks, driveways, walkways, patios, decks and any other area of concernare in top condition and will not have a negative influence on those who see those areas for the first time.

Pressure washing your sidings, bricks, driveways, walkways, patios, decks and any other area of concern can help improve the “visuals” of your property significantly for a relatively low cost.  You can create a more favorable impression in the mind of home buyers by looking at your home from the street and doing the necessary landscaping and cleaning in the areas that need to be cleaned.

 

Update by Painting

 

If after pressure washing your home you do not feel that it leads to a proper showing of your home you can decide to paint your homeeither partially or in full and add to the resale value of your home significantly.  Even if you do modest adjustments such as trim, door and shutters onlyyou can add tremendously to the resale value of your home.

 

If you need to re-visit your homes exterior color scheme altogetherbe sure to do so if it will aid in the resale value of your home.

 

Final Thoughts on Curb Appeal & Selling Your Home

It is important that you use common sense when putting your home on the market for sale. If the property does not appear to be in selling condition to youit won’t appear to be in selling condition to others—however always realize that your opinion will more than likely be biased.

 

It is imperative that you make a sincere effort to get your property  in selling condition and do what is necessary to the best of your ability to make your home sale occur in a manner that leads to you getting the best price and terms available based on the current market and condition of your property!

 

In the end remember that the right price, curb appeal along with what you say about your home is critical if you desire to sell your home in a timely manner. 

 

By stating that you have a fenced backyard, a split floor plan, a master  bedroom on the main level, a split bedroom or floor plan on the main level, laminate or hardwood flooring, an updated kitchen, a finished basement, a home that is move in ready, a home that has recently had landscape improvements, a home with an open floor concept, a home that is single story with no steps, a home that has a natural daylight environment, a  home that has a kitchen foyer, a home that has stainless steel appliances, a home that has vaulted or high ceilings, and/or any other highly descriptive details that apply to your home that gives a potential home buyer a better mental picture of your home–that will aid in the showing and “ultimate selling” of your home in the current market.

 

In addition, always realize that the smell of your home will arouse suspicion in the mind of buyer(s) if it causes concern.  A neutral or unsuspecting smell is much better than trying to mask the smell of your home.  A thorough cleaning with neutral cleaning solutions along with a designated neutralizer such as one of the following will do wonders for helping your home sell in a timely manner:

 

Cinnamon or Cedar

Lemon

Orange

Vanilla

Extract of Pine or Basil

 

Don’t overlook decks, fences, mailboxes, birdbaths, gazebos and other decorative features on your property.  Be sure to thoroughly clean all areas on the exterior that are in need of cleaning and repair any loose or broken items.  If necessary,  you may need to paint or stain certain areas to help improve the overall beauty of your exterior.

 

Be sure your front door area and the walkway that leads up to the doorway are in good repair or replace if necessary.   Keep in mind you may need to replace the hardware as wellsuch as mailboxes, house numbers, doorknobs and other areas that may seem small and insignificant to youbut will mean a lot to those who are looking at your home for the first time.

 

You may also need to refresh the exterior body and trim on your house to make it stand out from other homes in the neighborhood or those currently on the market in the area that you live in.

 

You can add to your curb appeal by creating interesting areas in your landscape.  It doesn’t have to get expensive as in many cases you can accent your home and landscape with planters or containers of various sizes, shapes and colors to create a more visual environment than other homes that are currently on the market.

 

Keep in mind if you have properly maintained your home over the years you will normally have to do less in the area of curb appeal than those who have neglected their home.   Regardless of where you now stand, utilizing the above curb appeal tips can help transform the look, feel and comfort of your homeinside and out and make it more desirable for home buyers in your market—or more enjoyable for you if you decide to stay put.

 

It is important that you realize that you now possess much of what you need to know to get your property sold efficiently and at a price that is acceptable to you.  You can now make your dream of selling your home at your price and terms occurand you now no longer have to wonder if it is for sure.

 

We wish you untold success in the future and by using the above curb appeal improvement tips we are certain that you are on a path to achieving  just that.

 

You can go to weeklyhomecheck.com and sign up for weekly tips that can help ensure that your home stays in top selling and living condition…

 

About This Article:

 

The above article was written by Thomas (TJ) Underwood   on March 22, 2015.  Thomas (TJ) Underwood is a licensed real estate broker in the state of Georgia and is the writer behind The Wealth Increaser, Home Buyer 411,  Home Seller 411, The 3 Step Structured Approach to Managing Your Finances, Managing & Improving Your Credit & Finances for this MILLENNIUM and CREDIT & FINANCE IMPROVEMENT MADE EASY—NEW GUIDE. 

 

He is the creator of TheWealthIncreaser.com where he regularly blogs about helping consumers improve their credit, finance and real estate pursuits in an intelligent, consistent and proactive manner. 

 

He’s always looking for ways to make intelligent finance improvement happen for those who “sincerely desire” success in their future. 

 

You can contact him from a number of sources but the most direct way is to contact him through Realty 1 Strategic Advisors Website.   You can also get other highly relevant tips on “living your life more abundantly” and possibly earn revenue at the same time by linking to TheWealthIncreaser.com.

 

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