Curb Appeal – How First Impressions Can Seal a Deal and Make You More Money

Posted by MoneySavvy on Jun 6th, 2010 | no comments home title

It’s a buyer’s market right now and if you’re trying to sell your home, it can pay off to pay attention to your home’s curb appeal. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of curb appeal, it simply means to make your home more appealing, aesthetically, from the road. When people drive by, they’ll look at the outside of your home and appreciate it.

Why Would You Want to Improve Your Curb Appeal?

There are two main reasons to spend the time, and a little bit of money, to improve your home’s curb appeal.

1. You’ll make more money. We mentioned earlier that it’s a buyer’s market. That means that buyers have the upper hand right now. There are more sellers than there are buyers and they can afford to be choosy. However, if your home has curb appeal, you can ask more money for it and you’ll get it.

2. You’ll sell your home faster. There’s nothing worse than trying to sell a home month after month after month. The faster you sell your home, the faster you can be onto the next phase in your life.

How Do You Improve Curb Appeal?

Making your home look attractive on the outside is a good investment in your time and money. However, you probably don’t want it to cost too much. Here are a few ways to boost the appeal without spending a fortune:

Freshen up the paint. A fresh coat of paint can do wonders for the exterior of your home, and if you do it yourself it will cost nothing more than the cost of the paint and the brushes. You can also rent a paint sprayer from your local hardware store and be done with the job in a weekend. Don’t forget to paint your front door.

Trim the hedges. Hedges, bushes and trees can become overgrown and look unsightly. A good healthy trimming will clean everything up nicely.

Plant a few flowers. Flowers add color, life and a good dose of curb appeal to a home. They make it look new and well maintained. Pay attention to where you plant your flowers for maximum impact, and try to co-ordinate the flower colors and height to their surroundings. And consider flower boxes if it matches your home’s architecture.

Clean up the sidewalks, walkways and driveways. Make sure to fill cracks, level the pavement and seal the walkways so they’re in the best possible condition.

Paint or stain the fence. A fence with peeling paint or faded stain looks old and uncared for. Add a fresh coat of stain or paint to make it look fresh and new.

Replace your front door. A good front door is important. If your front door is in poor condition, consider replacing it with a new one. And if your front door is just fine, but a little dull, consider adding a wreath or some other ornamentation to catch the eye.

Replace your hardware. Pull down those old doorbells, door knobs and house numbers and replace them with shiny new ones. It’s a small change that packs a lot of punch.

Replace your porch light fixtures. Update your outdoor lighting fixtures, keeping in mind the architecture of the home and the basic color scheme you have on the exterior.

Add outdoor lighting to your walkways for a nice touch.

Assess your home’s exterior from a designer’s eye. Look for symmetry and where it is lacking, add it. For example, on your porch you can add a planter to either side of the doorway for balance.

Adding curb appeal is something that can be done in a few weekends and it is usually well worth the time and effort. When it comes to selling your home in a buyer’s market, every little bit helps.