Is improving curb appeal worth it? Why does it matter? And what can homeowners do to improve their curb appeal?
If you’ve been asking questions like these, it’s you’re lucky day. In this guide, we list all the answers you ever wanted to know about improving curb appeal.
Even better, we’ll give you a few practical tips you can use to give your own home a facelift. Read on to learn all about it.
Why Is Improving Curb Appeal Important?
Think about it. What do home buyers see when they’re browsing online for a house? They see the (hopefully) pretty picture of the front of your home, all dolled up.
In fact, for most buyers, that’s all they’ll ever see. Once they put in their search parameters, that image is the only thing that determines whether or not they click for more information.
If they don’t like what they see, they keep browsing. They skip past 6 or 7 images they don’t like until they find one that they do.
That’s the one they click on and ultimately add to their list of homes to view in person. Will it be yours? That depends on what your curb appeal is like.
Thus, curb appeal is one of the most influential factors concerning how long it takes to sell your house. This, in turn, will most likely affect the final sale price of your home.
The Link Between Curb Appeal and Home Value
Typically, the longer it takes to sell your home, the cheaper it ends up being. That’s because of what happens before buyers browse through images. Namely, they put in their search parameters.
When buyers are browsing a certain price range, your house might be the ugliest house in that range. Then, you don’t even have a chance.
No one will click on your house and it will just sit there on the market. Ultimately, your only chance to sell will be to lower the price in order to compete in a lower price range.
Besides that, time is a factor in a lot of home sales. If you must sell by a certain date, you might have to drastically cut the price to get your ugly house sold. Because of these reasons, homes with a favorable curb appeal sell for 7% more than less appealing homes, on average.
Steps For Improving Curb Appeal
Now the question is, just how do you improve curb appeal, anyway? Follow these steps, that’s how!
1. Look at Your House
Seriously, the most stupidly obvious step to improving your curb appeal is to walk around your home and look at it. Everyone acclimates to the familiar things in their lives and eventually, we become sort of blind to them. So, if you want to make your house more appealing, you must first look at it with fresh eyes.
In other words, put yourself in your buyers’ shoes. As you tour the outside of your property, what stands out as your home’s most unappealing features?
Once you’ve made a list of your home’s most notable blemishes, check how much it will cost to fix these issues. If you can afford these repairs/upgrades, get them done.
2. Pressure Wash and Paint
Now, we move on to some specific issues you may or may not have noticed. First, fix your home’s paint job.
You should get a professional pressure wash beforehand. It’s best to hire professionals to do the paint as well. If the paint isn’t bad, though, see if you can get a bargain on a simple touchup rather than an extensive, full repaint.
3. Replace What You Can’t Paint
Once your house’s paint looks shiny and new, you (and your buyers) will likely notice how hideous that old light fixture looks by comparison. The point is, after repainting, take a very good look at the front of your house.
Look for anything scratched, grungy, corroded, rusted, worn, etc. These will stand out like white against black next to your new paint job. The most common items that need replacing or cleaning at this point are your house numbers, your lighting fixtures, and your front door/doorknob/doorknocker.
4. Spruce Up Your Driveway and Pathways
One of the most notable eyesores that send prospective buyers running is a shoddy, dilapidated driveway. You definitely want to fix any cracks, remove any stains, and take any other measures necessary to spruce up your driveway and pathways.
Consider if sealing your driveway would help and whether you need to repave entirely. If you do need to repave, don’t be discouraged. This is actually a really good opportunity to make your home look better than ever.
Specifically, you can make your new driveway as stylish as you can afford. Try an aesthetically pleasing, durable option, like using Keystone pavers.
5. Beautify Your Yard With Decorative Plants
Fancifying your yard with plants is a cheap way to up your curb appeal. And by cheap, we mean both inexpensive and sort of cheating.
That is to say, you don’t need your shrubs to last very long, just long enough to get your house sold. After that, your buyer can deal with the upkeep. In the meantime, a couple of trees and some hedges/flowers can make your home look fresh and green and alive.
Remember This Curb Appeal Improvement Guide
Now that you’re in the know, what will you do next? We hope you’ll take our advice and improve your curb appeal according to the steps above.
Furthermore, do you know anyone else who’s thinking about selling their home? If so, please share this guide with them.
Next, do you want to learn how to prepare your garden for winter or how to build a sauna at home? Find all these topics and more on our Home Improvement blog.
