Well, we are now in 2008. I am excited about the new year and am ready to hit it head on. I am ready for the market to pick up and to get things going. So, does your house have curb appeal? We talked earlier about looking at your home from a buyer’s prospective.
You know, sometimes people focus so much on getting the inside of their homes ready to show that they often overlook the idea of improving the exterior of the home- the CURB APPEAL!
I’m sure we have already talked a little about curb appeal, but I think it’s so important I was to delve into it a little bit deeper. You can really do just minor changes to totally change the overall visual appearance of your home. People tend to put off simple things until they are ready to sell and miss out on the opportunity to fully experience living in a home that is an expression of themselves. People sometimes only see their house at it’s best when they are ready to sell.
You don’t have to wait until your house is on the market to give it curb appeal. Why wait? But, for those who ARE planning on selling, little changes will create a “come on in” look for the buyer’s. Even if your house is in excellent “showing” condition on the interior, what the exterior looks like can either brings buyer’s in or drive them away.
Let’s talk about some tips to get that curb appeal up and going! Are you ready?
1. Try some inexpensive vinyl shutters, this will add more dimension to your exterior windows.
2. Anyone up for a little power-washing? You would be amazed how a little power-washing adds so much ‘umph’ to the look of your home. It removes oil, rust and other stains. ew!
3. I’m not really good with gardening tips but be sure to keep your bushes, shrubs, flower beds and what not neat and clean. You want everything to look clutter-free and simple.
4. Maybe you should think of adding a few things for curb appeal. Think about planting some flowers to make it pop, but just don’t get crazy with it.
5. Make sure all your windows are clear and clean. Make sure you’ve cleaned all the hand prints and the dog’s nose prints off of all the windows.
6. Try to patch up cracks and so forth in the driveway. This will prevent water seepage and more cracking.
7. Last but not least and I have said this before: Take a look at your house from the curb. Look at it as if you were looking to buy a home. Would you buy your home? Does it have curb appeal?
For the flowers, I would suggest one area that is filled with the plants; however, there is a problem with flowering plants: they do not look good when not flowering, so they have to be maintained.
Here is a story as warning. One homeowner to make their home more appealing placed large planters on the path leading to the front door. It was difficult maneuvering through this course to reach the door. (Particularly since some of the plants were cactii). Restraint is better with plantings during selling.
Comment by frankschulteladbeck — January 12, 2008 @ 12:40 pm |
Thanks for the great tips! I couldn’t imagine having to walk through a nice assortment of cactii to get to the door. lol By the way, You have a really nice website.
Comment by forsalebylindsay — January 12, 2008 @ 4:14 pm |
Thank you for the compliment. The cactii did look nice though.
Comment by frankschulteladbeck — January 12, 2008 @ 10:25 pm |