Looking for ways to spruce up your homes outward appearance? Below is a great article from
Realtor Magazine with great tips for you.
A property’s curb appeal naturally
makes a critical first impression. “If everything within the front space
is well-chosen and in perfect repair—from the mailbox and house numbers
to the walkway and landscaping—buyers will think, ‘This house is
obviously well-cared for,’ ” says Lisa Grant Vail, a real estate
professional with Keller Williams Atlanta Perimeter and coauthor of
Creating Curb Appeal
(Schiffer Publishing, 2009). “This message is imprinted on their
brains, even if the rest of the house is actually not as well cared for.
It’s very hard to change a first impression.”
While most real estate professionals advise their clients to tend to
the yard work, trim the trees, and put out a new welcome mat, they may
miss other opportunities to help sellers improve a home’s curb appeal.
Staging and real estate professionals offer some compelling ideas for
sprucing up exteriors.
Front door
A front door can be a home’s focal point—but you don’t want that to
be because of its peeling paint or dinged hardware. Replacing an
entryway door with a new steel door (which costs about $1,200) actually
offers among the biggest bang for the buck at resale (an average of 73
percent of the cost may be recouped, according to Remodeling magazine’s
2011–2012 Cost vs. Value Report, which analyzed 35 remodeling projects’ payback potential).
Sometimes a front door can be salvaged with a fresh coat of paint.
Just don’t overdo it: Vail recalls when her clients went too bold with
their door’s hue—a vivid blue that didn’t complement the home. It had
dated brass handle and lock hardware, too. (Satin nickel and black or
oil-rubbed bronze are more the trend these days.)
Windows
Wash them—inside and out—and remove the screens for added sparkle.
Then, try dressing up the windows with flower boxes, suggests Peggy
Johnson, owner of
Redesign + More,
a Charlotte, N.C., interior design and staging firm. Also, consider a
new color for shutters. The trend is a shift away from high-contrast
green, red, or black to more monochromatic palettes that blend with the
rest of the house, according to the Paint Quality Institute.
Garage
Depending on its orientation to the house, a garage can make a huge
impact. Does the door need paint or repairs? Should it be replaced?
While sellers might not be willing to spend on a stylish new cedar wood
door, they can find more budget-friendly options in metal or fiberglass.
A new steel garage door can cost about $1,500, but sellers, in average,
recoup nearly 72 percent of that investment at resale, according to the
Cost vs. Value Report.
Front porch
Don’t overlook this key selling point. “It’s an iconic symbol of
American living,” Vail says. “‘Sell’ your front porch as additional
square footage by staging it with as much care as you would other rooms.
Invite buyers to ‘sit a spell’ with a pair of rocking chairs,
Adirondacks, a porch swing, or even an outdoor living suite.” And don’t
forget to “add a coffee and a side table for writing up contracts,” Vail
notes.
Driveway
Is the driveway covered with cracks and oil stains? If sellers can’t
afford a complete resurfacing (which may cost about $2,000 for concrete
driveways), encourage them to look into patching up cracks using
premixed concrete materials, Johnson says. Driveway cracks a
quarter-inch or smaller may be able to be filled with asphalt or
concrete that comes in caulk-like tubes. A patching compound for asphalt
can be used for larger cracks. Some experts recommend kitty litter for
removing oil stains, though hardware stores offer designated products,
too.
After dark
Evening curb appeal also matters. “Conceal a couple of portable
outdoor lamps and aim them at the house or a beautiful tree for
low-cost, high-value impact,” Vail says. Have outdoor lights on a timer
so they’re always on for nighttime showings. Interior lights, too, work
to create a warm glow from the curb. If the home isn’t wired outdoors,
line a pathway to the door with solar lights. “The technology has
improved considerably over the past few years, and solar lights are much
cheaper to install than hardwired lights,” Vail says. “Plus, sellers
could probably take the lights with them when they move.”
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Need a professional opinion on other ways to improve the looks of your home? Call us today!
The Puffer Team, Keller Williams Professionals, 828-771-2300,
www.homefinderasheville.com
