The Importance of Curb Appeal Archives

Eight Must-Do’s Before You List Your Home For Sale

March 4, 2018 by Kathy Reichle Leave a Comment

The Spring selling season is on, and if you’re considering listing your house, it’s time to get it in tip-top shape. You may think your home is already listing ready right now, but a real estate agent may not agree. These eight activities will help you put your best house forward.

Clean up that yard

You can’t underestimate the power of curb appeal. An unkempt yard, chipping paint, even a mailbox that’s seen better days can turn off a potential buyer – or turn one into a bargain hunter. And you don’t want either.

“Your home’s curb appeal is the first thing buyers see when they drive up to the property. Buyers immediately start assessing the exterior and landscaping, forming a knee-jerk first impression,” said Professional Staging. “This initial reaction is very powerful. It instantly sets the tone of the tour and will have an effect on how buyers perceive the rest of the property. If their first impression is a negative one, then the rest of the home will suffer for it. The state of a home’s exterior usually matches the interior. If the grass is long or patchy, the paint on the house is faded or peeling, and there are cracks in the driveway, then buyers are going to be very wary of what other kinds of maintenance issues could be awaiting them inside and in places that they can’t see. These issues instantly translate to dollar signs and stress for home buyers, so it’s likely they will move on to the competition to avoid them both.”

porch.comConsider your door

Chances are, you don’t look much at your front door because you come in and out of the garage. A buyer approaching your house will notice if your door isn’t pristine and may project the lack of pristine-ness onto the rest of the house. A fresh coat of paint is inexpensive but the impact is dramatic.

Declutter

A cluttered house can mask its best qualities and also make potential buyers feel like it’s not as spacious as they want it to be. “Resist the urge to roll your eyes at this one,” said Family Handyman. “It is imperative that your home looks livable. Potential buyers may not be able to see past your clutter. Think of it this way – don’t move things you no longer want or need. Make decisions now and your house will sell faster and your move will be easier. Take one room, or even part of one room, at a time and dive in. Recycle or shred paper. Donate books, toys, clothing and duplicate household items. If you’re getting frustrated and you can’t deal with one more stack of papers or shoebox of old photos, put them in a plastic tub, label the tub and stack it somewhere out of the way.”

Depersonalize

You want your home to be memorable, but for the right reasons – not because of your wall full of crosses or bookcase overflowing with antique figurines. Pack them away to neutralize the space. “The next step on your declutter list? You want to remove any distractions so the buyers can visualize themselves and their family living in the property,” Kipton Cronkite, a real estate agent with Douglas Elliman in New York, told Realtor.com. “He says that includes personal items and family photos, as well as bold artwork and furniture that might make your home less appealing to the general public. The goal is to create a blank canvas on which house hunters can project their own visions of living there, and loving it.”

Light bulbs, handles, and hardware, oh my!

Burned-out bulbs, loose handles, and hardware that’s worn, scratched, or rusted is easy to take care and can help your place look finished.

Give everything a good dusting

Look up! How’s that ceiling fan? You’d be surprised how a little thing like a dusty fan can impact a buyer and turn them into a non-buyer. Get out that duster and hit all the corners and window sills you never notice. And then clean all those windows so when you open all the blinds and drapes to let the sun shine in, the light doesn’t get blocked by smudges and fingerprints.

Walk through your home like you’re seeing it for the first time

Come in through the front door and examine every inch of the house. You’ve probably been ignoring little things that have just become part of the landscape. A scuffed baseboard here. A broken switchplate there. Even the pile of shoes in the front hall that you don’t even notice anymore. Potential buyers will, and these little things could be enough to turn them off.

“Once you’ve decided it’s time to sell your home, start to look at it with an objective eye,” said Family Handyman. “If you were the potential buyer, what red flags would you see when you walked around your house and yard?

Clean out your closets, your cabinets, and your pantry

Don’t fool yourself into thinking people won’t open doors and drawers and look through everything (Side tip: Hide your valuables before showings, just to be safe!). You don’t have to worry about being judged for your fashion sense—although, you might want to pack away those ‘80s parachute pants! You should be more worried about whether buyers will walk away because they think there isn’t enough closet or storage space, or it’s not efficient space.

You have to pack anyway since you’re moving, so start early. Empty out closets, cabinets, and storage areas so the space looks sufficient and nicely organized. For closets, the idea is to make them look filled, but not overfilled. Create space between hangers and fold other items neatly on shelves. Make sure there is ample space for shoes because, let’s face it, this could be a deal breaker for some people.

WRITTEN BY JAYMI NACIRI

Ideas To Improve Your Small Front Yard

March 17, 2017 by Kathy Reichle Leave a Comment

There are many ways to improve your small front yard without uprooting your driveway or dialing back your front porch. In fact, with the right touches, small front yards can be just as appealing as large ones. Here are some ideas to make your small yard appealing year round:

#1 Take a symmetrical approach.

One way to make your small front yard more appealing is to use symmetry. Balancing the elements of your yard on either side of your sidewalk — grass, fencing, flowers, shrubs — will make it look grand and inviting; it will also cost less than it would in a larger yard, because you have less acreage to cover. You can also find a local landscaperto map out and implement a symmetrical yard plan for you.

#2 Make a seamless transition from yard to house.

Use materials like box planters, stone steps or retaining walls to blend your home and yard together. Potted plants on your front porch or patio will also extend the yard without cluttering it. Make sure you choose plants that complement one another, so you don’t have a lot of overgrowth.

#3 Use a hint of color.

If you want to wow people in your small front yard, pick a brightly colored flower, shrub or tree that stands out either on the porch or in the yard itself. Then use neutral colors around to make it stand out. This will be the eye-catching piece in your small yard that people will never miss.

#4 Hang basket flowers.

Hang flower baskets around your front porch or patio. They add fresh color and a natural element to your home without cluttering the porch area itself. You can change them every season or every year, depending on the flowers or shrubs you choose.

#5 Light it up.

Your front yard might be less appealing if people see it at night. That’s why you should add plenty of lighting. One option is to install standing, solar-powered lamps along the walkway; another is to hang lamps on your front porch to illuminate the plants there. It just depends on how much moneyand time you want to invest.

#6 Refresh your front door.

While not a traditional part of the “yard”, your front porch is still important to the beauty of the area as a whole. This means your front door needs to be appealing as well. Fix any cracks, scratches or other damage to the door. Also, think about revitalizing it with a new coat of paint. Choose a color that complements the exterior landscape.

Conclusion

These are only a few tips to help you improve your small front yard. You want to make it seem bigger, if not at least more comfortable. Adding a fence might be another option to consider, though you’ll want to lean towards an open design pattern like picket or chain link. Just keep your budget in mind and try not to clutter your yard while trying to redesign it. For more tips on making the most of a patio in a small yard, check out this post from HuffPost Homes.

WRITTEN BY ANDREA DAVIS

THE $140,000 MISTAKE YOU’RE MAKING WITH YOUR HOME

January 6, 2017 by Kathy Reichle Leave a Comment

If you’re not tending to your front yard, your perennials aren’t the only thing you stand to lose. We’ve all heard of the importance of curb appeal, but do you know what that means for actual dollar value? “Good landscaping can add up to 28% to overall home value,” said landscape economist John Harris on Houselogic. “Even taking your landscaping from ‘good’ to ‘excellent,’ in terms of design, condition, and placement, can add 6% to 7% to a home’s value, according to a Clemson University study of homes in Greenville, S.C.” On a $500,000 house, you’re talking about an extra $140,000 at 28 percent!

John Gidding, host of HGTV’s “Curb Appeal” and Logo TV’s “Secret Guide to Fabulous” told the Washington Post that he had “always heard the number 150 percent” in regards to the return on investment of landscaping. “But to me that is conservative,” he said. “On a ‘Curb Appeal’ project, I put in $20,000 and the sellers got $200,000 more than they had paid for the house just a year prior. The return was astonishing.”

While a “1,000 percent return on investment in landscaping” is certainly no guarantee for the average person and individual ROI is based on numerous factors, Gidding advises that the “best strategy is to research the architectural style of your home and create a landscaping plan that matches.”

Additional tips can help your landscaping shine without a whopper of an investment, and many of the projects can be done on your own.

Clean it up

An unkempt yard isn’t going to entice buyers, especially if it’s cold outside and nice and toasty in the car. Give people a reason to approach by cleaning and tidying up the yard. Raking leaves, removing any clutter that’s gathered on walkways and porches, and washing windows will cost you nothing but a little bit of elbow grease.

Wash it

The windows probably aren’t the only thing that needs washing on the exterior of your house. “Before you scrape any paint or plant more azaleas, wash the dirt, mildew, and general grunge off the outside of your house,” said Houselogic. “REALTORS^®say washing a house can add $10,000 to $15,000 to the sale prices of some houses.”

The first step: Grab a bucket of soapy water and a “long-handled, soft-bristled brush” to remove any noticeable dust and dirt. For homes that need more attention, a power washer that can be rented for about $75 a day can do the trick.

Fix up

Have some deferred maintenance on your home? If you’re looking to sell, that maintenance is deferred no more. Remember that potential buyers are looking for anything that questions the quality of the home or its upkeep so they can move on to the next home or chip away at your sales price. “Nothing looks worse from the curb – and sets off subconscious alarms – like hanging gutters, missing bricks from the front steps, or peeling paint,” said Houselogic. “Not only can these deferred maintenance items damage your home, but they can decrease the value of your house by 10%.”

Address the lawn

“In its study of the worth of outdoor remodeling projects, the National Association of Realtors put standard lawn care at the top of their list of projects that most appeal to buyers, with 14% of the agents claiming that it recently helped them make a sale,” said Investors. “And with a price tag of only about $330, according to National Association of Landscape Professionals, home sellers can expect to triple their investment with a return of about $1,000 added to the sale price.

A new coat of mulch can give the home a fresh look, has a minimal cost, and offers additional benefits. “It protects land from soil erosion and reduces compaction from heavy rains. It also will help reduce your water bill by eliminating the need to frequently water, and provides an even soil temperature to protect your plants,” said US News.

Go low-maintenance

If adding new landscaping, consider how much maintenance is involved. If you’re planning to live in the home for a while, you’ll appreciate not having to spend a lot of time and energy taking care of your yard. “Purchase plants that are native to your region or plants that are drought-tolerant; these require less water and maintenance, which means more savings to you and more green in your wallet,” said HGTV. If you’re getting ready to sell, potential buyers will take note of native and/or drought-tolerant plants that add curb appeal but allow them to “think green.”

Upgrade your entry points

Take a good look at your front door and garage. Have they seen better days? Replacing them with fresh, new versions will give your home a noticeable lift, with a strong return on investment. The ROI on a $2,000 steel entry door replacement is 75 percent, while a “garage door replacement returns about 87% of its $2,300 project cost,” said Houselogic.

A fresh coat of paint can also do wonders if you’re looking to spend less. “If you only have a few hundred dollars, paint the front door and get new house numbers. Improve whatever the eye will see from the street,” Gidding said.

Think trees

If you’re doing some quick fixes to get your home sold, planting trees may not be on your radar. But if you’ve just moved in or are redoing your yard and are looking for smart landscaping ideas, the long-term value of trees on your property may have you researching different species.

“If you aren’t planning to sell your house today, plan for the future with a landscaping improvement that will mature over time,” said HGTV. “Plant shade trees — not only will mature trees make your home more desirable but a fully grown, properly placed tree can cut your cooling costs by as much as 40 percent. Mature landscaping is also good for the environment, providing a necessary habitat for wildlife while adding valuable curb appeal to your home.”

There’s even a site you can visit to calculate how a tree species in a particular ZIP code affects your property value as well as potential energy savings.

Light it up

According to the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) list of most-wanted home features for buyers of all ages, 90 percent want exterior lighting. If yours is dated or insufficient, a minimal investment of a couple hundred dollars could pay off big time.