While we’re told we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, we definitely do judge a house by its exterior. Any home seller who ignores this reality stands to lose thousands of dollars, particularly at a time when buyers are combing through dozens if not hundreds of online photos in search of their dream home.
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” says Brad Pauly, founder of Pauly Presley Realty in Austin, TX.
To kick off the new year right, we’ve assembled five top-of-mind curb appeal trends to help you make a better first impression with your home in 2016:
- Update the front door.
- Upgrade the garage door.
- Lighten up the exterior.
- Liven up the landscaping.
- Put furniture on the front porch.
To learn more about these trends, download LawnStarter’s free report, “5 Curb Appeal Trends for 2016,” by filling out the form at the bottom of this page.
Making Your Home ‘Pop’
Curb appeal can “drastically affect” the sale price of a home, the number of competitive offers from buyers and the amount of time a home spends on the market, according to Ryan Pertile, a Realtor in Minneapolis, MN. Pauly says that if the exterior is clean, landscaped and freshly painted, a buyer will perceive that the seller has meticulously maintained the entire home — inside and out.
“There are plenty of cost-effective ways to make your house pop at first glance, whether it’s in photos or in person,” Pertile says.
According to Cheryl Reed, director of external relations at services locator and scheduler Angie’s List, ways to do this include:
- Removing weeds, branches and debris from the front yard.
- Strategically planting trees, shrubs and plants in the front yard.
- Spreading mulch around trees, shrubs and flowerbeds to give the front yard a tidier appearance.
“More times than I can count, I’ve pulled away from a home without getting out because the buyer didn’t like the looks of it from the outside. In the buyer’s mind, if a house is unappealing from the outside, it’ll be no better on the inside, regardless of what the interior really looks like,” says Lynn Windle, a Realtor in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, area. “If they do step inside, they’re already thinking they can offer a reduced price because ‘the house needs so much work.’”
‘Maxing Out’ Your Investment
Spending $100 on landscaping easily can fetch another $10,000 when you’re selling your home, says Sissy Lappin, co-founder of home-selling service ListingDoor.com.
“A house is usually a person’s greatest investment. Maxing out that investment is an easy way to make lots more money,” says Beth Berg, a home stager in Denver, CO. “The best way to max that investment out is to make buyers want to spend more money on it. Value is created by making the home beautiful, bright and clean.”
Don’t forget to download our free report, “5 Curb Appeal Trends for 2016.” To get the report, fill out the form below.
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Download the report here.
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