How many chances does one home get to make a first impression?
No, this is not a trick question. The answer is...ONE. With so much inventory on the market currently, your home won’t get a second or third chance to make a good first impression. Curb appeal is the first and most important starting place for your overall home selling efforts. If prospective buyers drive by without stopping to tour the inside of your home, they’ll never get to see the wonderful appeal your home has to offer.
What can you do to increase your curb appeal? The first step is to enlist the help of a reliable real estate agent. They can help you understand the critical importance of curb appeal. Real Estate agents across the nation have stated that the likelihood of a sale depends greatly on the buyer’s first impression. They also reported that the appearance of a home's exterior is equally important as the interior features and condition.
One of the first steps to your outdoor renovations is to cut the grass, prune the bushes, and rake the leaves. Also, incorporate some fresh foliage outside. A new pot of flowers or inexpensive bushes and trees can bring new interest to the front yard. For the motivated homeowner, do-it-yourself landscape improvements are a relatively inexpensive way to increase a home's visual appeal.
If the outside of the home looks as though it has not been maintained, people will wonder what maintenance issues may have been skipped on the inside as well. Power-wash the exterior deck and driveway. This will bring newness to that area. Freshly painted trim on the side of the house can provide noticeable sparkle. Make all the small, inexpensive repairs you’ve been putting off.
When a property looks its best, it attracts attention. Buyers who are unimpressed by a home's "curb appeal" aren’t interested in a closer look. When buyers see your home from the street and the front walk, they believe that “what they see is what they get.
It is important that sellers understand the importance of curb appeal and pride of ownership. If this is understood then you’ll get to the closing table sooner.