When selling a house, among the numerous factors you should consider,
curb appeal should be towards the top of your list. When a potential
buyer comes to see your home, they observe at the homes around your
neighborhood as well. You want your home to stick out a little, not to
look identical to your neighbor�s house.
You want your house to stick out. You want people who drive by say
things like, �I like that house�, or �I wouldn't mind living there�. You
need to know what will make them say that. Look at your house again and
see it's potential. Consider what would make someone say those things
about your house.
The first thing is a nice yard. You may think a small yard is a draw
back. It is not at all. You just need to know how to enhance it. You
need to make it colorful. Add some bright, cheery flowers along the
walkway. Put in a flower bed under the windows, or along side the house.
Weave out any unwanted trees or shrubs. These things can make a small
yard look even more small. You want to give your home a warm and
inviting look, not one of cramped space. Make sure the lawn is mowed and
edged neatly. If there are bare spots, get some grass seed and resow it
into the lawn. Trim the larger trees so there is no chance of dead
branches falling. You can also inform potential buyers you just had the
trees trimmed. This means they do not have to do it for a long time.
The next thing you need to look at is consistency. Make sure all the
windows look the same from the outside. It actually makes the house look
better taken care of. This can be done by installing vertical blinds,
mini blinds, or even shades. If you do use shades, during the day make
sure they are all at the same level during the time the house is on the
market. You want everything to look uniform.
When you are looking at the windows, take a look at the trim work. If
the windows have shutters but some are missing, either restore the
missing ones or take down the existing ones. You do not want the house
to appear as if it is in need of repair. Missing shutters makes it look
as though no one took care of the place. The paint may be cracked and
peeling. Get the scraper and a bucket of paint and redo the trim work.
This will make the house look more clean and give the impression of good
repair as well.
You may have cement sidewalks or steps. If you do and there are cracks,
fix them. You can do this with a filler cement and a trowel. This is a
big improvement not only to the look of the home but to the safety of
all who come there. If the railing for the steps is missing or broken
replace it. Certain federal funding will not go through on a house which
does not have a hand rail where there is more than two steps. Again,
repairing the hand rail makes the home look more complete and adds to
the safety factor.
Of course you will want to replace any broken windows or doors. This can
really damage the curb appeal when a buyer drives by and sees this.
Also, if there is vinyl siding which needs repaired or replaced, you
will want to do this.
The key to making your house more attractive is looking at it from
someone else's eyes. If you can not do this, enlist the aid of your
family and friends. They can take a look and assess what needs to be
replaced in a hurry. Make a list and just do it. Not only are you adding
more value to your home, you are attracting more buyers. When you have
more buyers, you can sell your home in a lot less time. All you need is
a little curb appeal.
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