Curb Appeal: The Difference Between ‘Heck No!’ and ‘Oh, Yeah!’

Have you ever seen a property while walking or driving around and thought to yourself, “heck no!” That’s the difference curb appeal, or a lack their of, can make.

Curb appeal is the impression a house makes upon first glance. The outside can determine whether buyers even want to come in and see the rest of the house. For example, if this is the picture people see, how likely is it that they’ll even bother coming by?

 

Now let me ask you…why would you even bother putting this picture up? I know I have had clients who said “moving on” as we drove up to a house, without even so much as getting out of the car. You just can’t get that “it” feeling from something like this.

Some difference makers:

1. Landscaping. Trim trees, shrubbery, grass, etc. If the front yard looks overgrown and unkempt, chances are it’s not a far leap the inside hasn’t been cared for either. You want to entice people to come inside!

2. Hardware & Lighting Fixtures. If you have dead light bulbs, old rusty light fixtures, or ones that don’t work – fix them. Home Depot and Lowes aren’t far, and small, cheap fixes go a long way in increasing the appearance of the house. Put new door handles on, new numbers for the property address, new locks (if people can’t get the door open, they definitely can’t get inside to see it!), and/or a new mailbox. Small things go a long way.

3. Paint. If you have bricks that have been painted or old gutters, chances are you have peeling and cracking paint. Not only does this scare people, it looks terrible. If you need to replace gutters and downspouts, do it. Remember to paint window and door trim, as well as the exterior, if it’s warm enough to paint and the material is ready for paint.

4. Power Wash Siding. When I say paint the outside of the house, it’s generally only for certain building materials. If you have vinyl siding, power wash the house to give it that shiny look.

5. Driveway, sidewalk, walkway – stone. If your driveway, sidewalk, or front steps are cracking, consider fixing it with new stone tiles, or paving.

Remember that the cleaner, neater, fresher your house looks…the more appealing it is. Consider this, the picture above of a house currently listed for sale is about $60,000 more than the one below. Based solely on the pictures, which one are you more likely to see?