Curb Appeal

It may be common sense but did you know that the first impression that a home buyer will get about your home is from the exterior appearance? Once the buyer realizes your house is for sale, either from an ad or by the sign out front, their next step will be to drive by your home to see what it looks like. Even if they call to make an appointment to view your house before they have seen it, chances are that they will just drive by and skip the appointment if they don't like what they first see. You can see that no matter how many tips that you follow, they won't do any good if you choose not to address the exterior of the house.

Let's put this to the test. At random pick five home out of your local newspaper with addresses and drive by them. Chances are that 3 out of those 5 homes have not even worried about curb appeal. You may see untrimmed yards garbage cans on their sides and overcrowded flower gardens with weeds. If deciding on what you first see to get that first impression, more than likely you will agree that the two homes that addressed the outside have a better chance of selling first. Maybe you don't want to do all that traveling to test this. No problem!  Go outside, stand by the curb in front of your house and look at your house. The factors we want you to pay attention to are the landscaping, front entry way, windows, siding, gutters, roof, backyard, and driveway. Just visually look these things over and once you had time to do so take a walk down the street and pick these items out on other houses. Naturally, you should be able to pick out features from your house that may be positive or negative. The items that you may have liked or disliked about your home are the curb appeal items we are talking about.

Were not saying you cannot sell your home without doing anything to improve curb appeal but you will greatly improve your odds if you do. Remember this, everyone can see the outside of your home even those just driving by. Curb Appeal alone can get somebody to mention your home to friends and family.

Check out the articles below to get some very helpful advice on things you can do to get that "Curb Appeal."

Landscaping

There are two ways to get your home noticed very fast. The first is having a poorly maintained yard that doesn't fit in with the neighborhood. The second which is preferred is having a yard that is landscaped and looks better than the rest of your neighbor's yards. Some simple tips that will improve your curb appeal in the landscaping department include:  More...

Besides a landscaped yard, your home's exterior should look as though it has been well maintained. If a home appears to need work on the outside, buyers will think it needs work on the inside. Here I will cover the areas including, the front entry way, windows, siding, gutters, the roof, and your driveway.