Someone said, “a stunning first impression is not the same thing as love at first sight. But surely it is an invitation to consider the matter.” This could not be truer than in selling a home. First impressions are powerful. Sometimes they are everything. Nothing sets the tone of a relationship or transaction more than first impressions, and those first impressions are formed quickly. Most prospective buyers form an opinion about a home within the first 7–10 seconds of arriving, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.
HONEY STOP THE CAR!
When driving by, some buyers stop, and some keep driving. You want your prospective buyers to STOP! And if they do because you have ‘eye-catching’ curb appeal, I guarantee they will be driving by several times with family and friends until they get an appointment to see the inside!
“Curb Appeal”—the attractiveness of a property for sale and its surroundings when viewed from the street—is as important as correct price-setting and is crucial to selling your home faster and for more money. Your eye-catching curb appeal might even catch the attention of buyers who weren’t attracted by the written description of your home, or who were simply driving by, even if they weren’t initially considering a home purchase.
Let’s be clear, there’s no second chance to make a first impression. Whether cruising the web to view online photos from across the country or cruising by your home in the family SUV on a Sunday afternoon outing, home shoppers will decide at a glance whether they want to see more. So, consider what a potential home buyer might think as he or she drives up to your property for the first time.
Curb appeal doesn’t only apply to drive-up home buyers. Most buyers shop online first to see photos of the interior and the exterior. Creating curb appeal is essential to attracting interest in your home from serious buyers.
SEEING YOUR HOME THROUGH FRESH EYES
Try this. Go out into your street and look—I mean really look—at your home and see if you can spot any imperfections. It’s important to put your emotions aside and look at your house objectively, the way buyers will see it. Is it appealing, pristine, and well-kept, or are there necessary repairs that you have been putting off? After you’ve lived in a home for a long while, you’re not likely to examine it objectively. Listen to suggestions from your Realtor, staging expert, your friends, and/or potential home buyers about how you can make your house show better. Then, take a drive around your neighborhood and surrounding area and see which homes appeal to you, and note why.
Well-tended houses with trimmed bushes, groomed lawns, attractive landscaping, and a “grand entrance” (discussed shortly) will be more impressive than homes with an unkempt walkway, uncut grass, and a paint-peeling front door. The outside appearance of a property needs to be an invitation to come inside. Potential home buyers are drawn to welcoming entrances and uncluttered yards. They are unlikely to be attracted to a home with dead shrubbery and a weather-worn exterior.
Packaging sells! Starting at the curb, a well-manicured lawn and fresh appearance of the exterior demonstrates that the current homeowner is up to an appealing standard and takes pride in the property’s aesthetics. The outside appearance of your property should serve as an invitation to come inside.
Beyond aesthetics, the buyer will be looking for evidence of wear, tear, and neglect. Buyers who are greeted with peeled paint, trash, and dead or unkempt lawns will assume that a home neglected on the outside is neglected inside as well.
Look at your home as a prospect would. Drive up to the curb and take inventory of everything that needs attention. Simple improvements such as weeding, trimming, and window washing can improve the appearance of a home with little to no expense. Repair and repainting are costlier, but often have a good effect on time-to-sale or sale price. Low-cost investments such as power washing the house and concrete, repainting trim, and adding landscaping also give your house more curb appeal.
The goal here is to get more money for your home. Home buyers usually aren’t interested in a home that needs work unless you want to sell below market value. Look around your yard and make a written list of everything that could be improved:
- Shrubs trimmed, flower gardens tended, beds weeded, and walkways tidy
- No trash, trash cans, lawn clippings, branches, or general mess in the yard
- All outside fixtures and components working and in good repair (door and yard lights, garage door, porch rails), functioning properly and looking their best
Make all major and minor improvements to update the exterior of your property. There might be a long list of things to do. It takes hard work to get a home ready to sell. Anyone can put a house on the market, but not everyone sells quickly or with great profits. Then, await the prospective buyers who will be drawn to the inside of your home when they see how beautiful it is from your curb!
Even if the interior of your home is up to date, in good repair, with perfect plumbing and electrical work, and is decorated nicely for appeal, the exterior and curb appeal of your home will influence a buyer’s decision before they even enter the house.
CREATING A GRAND ENTRANCE
Impressing the home shopper at the front door is an important aspect of curb appeal. This means more than putting out a welcome mat or potted plants. You want them to feel safe and secure when they open the door. The knob is probably the first thing visitors will touch, so make this tactile experience solid and reassuring. A flimsy lock or handle on your front door will make potential home buyers feel uncomfortable, and they might not even know why. Security is important to home buyers.
Replace a worn or loose entry handle. Consider replacing the handle with a heavy-duty deadbolt and knob combination. This investment of $100-$200 will make your home more visibly and practically secure.
The front door itself is a major focal point, so make it impressive, too. Is the paint on your metal door faded? Is it peeled and flaking? Freshen it up and add a dash of color. Choose a paint that complements the color of your home. Replacing an old wood door with a steel entry door is worth the cost, with an average 91 percent return on investment (ROI). You can also replace brass kick plates inexpensively, which adds newness to the appearance. You want to create a sense in the buyer that your house is a great place to come home to.
Painting your front door, a color that’s both eye-catching but neutral, and that matches the overall style of the exterior, is a great way to add curb appeal to sell your home for more. A contrast between the overall façade of your home and the front door will amp up your curb appeal. Architects from ancient to modern times know it’s important to give a building “a sense of entry.”
A black door is rated the highest for buyer's choice and it's always best to appeal to the masses when selling your home. Adding a wreath on your door, will also create a warm feeling. This creates a more positive, free-flowing atmosphere, making your home look more appealing to buyers.
A WELCOMING WALKWAY
The path to your front door is your “red carpet” for prospective buyers. The pathway, landing, and your front door should all blend to provide an appealing journey from your street or driveway up to your house.
Go easy on decorations and lawn ornaments. Too much will look disorganized and cluttered. Keep an elegant balance. Limit yourself to a few decorations, depending on how big your walkway is and how “busy” it already is with flowers, rocks, trees, and other aesthetics.
A WELL-MANICURED LAWN
It is important to have a lawn that is well-manicured and shows the home hasn’t been occupied by a negligent owner. However, a lawn that appears to be too high maintenance can also be an obstacle. It is best to go for a look that is clean and simple. At least have the grass trimmed nicely and regularly check that it’s healthy. A simple garden with bright flowers can also be a welcoming feature. Put down mulch in a darker color, such as a solid, dark brown which provides a nice contrast with a nice green lawn. Mulch helps neaten things up and gives the area a clean feeling and adds great curb appeal.
LEVERAGING CURB APPEAL
By having your home in its most pristine condition, inside and out, you’ll seal the deal in no time. Curb appeal will have a big influence on selling price and will ensure your home doesn’t languish on the market.
Statistics show that a home with outstanding landscaping will bring 5% more than a home with average landscaping, and 7% more than one whose landscaping is in a bit of disarray. So, you can see that if you spend a little money on that $150,000 home, it could mean $7,000 to $8,000 more in your pocket just from curb appeal. On a $500,000 home, landscaping could easily add $25,000 to $35,000 to the selling price.
Selling Secret: Many items that may need attention are low-cost investments, but the payoff is often reflected in the sales price.
OTHER WAYS TO CREATING GREAT CURB APPEAL:
- Symmetry appeals to the eye and is easy to accomplish. Lopsided landscaping or unevenly trimmed bushes will detract from curb appeal, the overall appearance of the home needs balance.
- The mailbox should complement your home. If it is worn, dated, or unsightly, replace it. This doesn’t cost much and is worthwhile.
- Ample outdoor lighting adds to landscaping appeal and is a perceived safety feature.
- Use flower boxes and raised flower beds to add instant color. This is an easy, inexpensive way to enhance curb appeal.
- Spruce up the landscaping. Eliminating weeds and adding fresh mulch can really make a difference and shows homeowner care and maintenance.
- Consider enhancing architectural appeal by adding molding to the tops and sides of the doorway or around windows.
- Keep shutters and trim in excellent shape. Repainting them adds to the attractiveness. Fence gates, arbors, and fencing panels should be clean and fresh.
- Clean downspouts and gutters. Repaint or touch up to eliminate rust spots.
- Ensure the walkway to the front door is clear and approachable. Stacked hoses and unruly landscaping interfere with home shoppers walking up, diminishing the inviting look (and creating a possible liability issue).
- Paint or stain railings and shutters (if weathered).
- Try a fresh coat of paint; faded or chipping paint, siding, or trim will always detract from curb appeal. If exterior paint is good, ensure door and window trim are, too. This simple upgrade is well worth the cost.
- Power washing the house, walkways, and driveway can be almost as effective as repainting, at a much lower cost. You can easily rent power washers from hardware stores.
- Adding some stone or stone veneer to the face of the home is an inexpensive way to instantly update your home if it complements the design.
- Add a ‘smart’ doorbell. Eight out of 10 home doorbells are outdated or not working, so if you invest $60 in a doorbell equipped with a camera and speaker, you will gain the approval of home buyers who are looking for security measures.
You can create interest in your home before buyers even step out of the car, no matter how uninterested they might have been initially. Your home’s curb appeal draws buyers in, maintains their interest, and sets your home apart from the competition.
Remember that unless you are willing to lower your home’s price well below market value, prospective home buyers usually will not want to take on a major renovation project.
Selling a home can be a difficult and stressful process. I’d like to come by and show you how much easier I can make selling your home.
I provide many more examples of how to create that eye-catching curb appeal that brings the buyers in Chapter 3 of my book “SELLING SECRETS YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO MISS.” Chapter 4 takes you to the next step I call the “Three D's" - Depersonalize, Declutter and Discard.
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Geni is a native Texan and has spent her life in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. She has served North Texans for nearly four decades providing expert advice and real solutions to their real estate goals. She is an author, speaker and trainer with an impeccable reputation for integrity and determination. Geni’s personal contacts reach across literally thousands of the top brokers and agents throughout the nation, affording her a unique ability to help you with your relocation needs, Geni and her Team know how to SELL, what works and what doesn’t! She has a proven track record of selling homes faster and for a higher price than most agents, even in the most difficult markets! You can be assured of the most professional and successful marketing strategy for sellers, and a thorough knowledge of the area for buyers. Geni’s credentials include earning 12 highly recognized designations and 100s of Five Star Reviews, which is why Geni is known as a Master of Residential Real Estate.
This article is under Copyright © June 2021 Geni Manning, Geni Manning Real Estate Group, Frisco Stars, Frisco, TX.
