Develop Curb Appeal
When you put your home up for sale, you want to do everything possible to encourage potential buyers to stop and take a look. The "For Sale" sign out front by the roadside may not be enough to encourage them to make a phone call if the home front looks disheveled and like it doesn't receive proper care. A large part of enticing prospective buyers is to give them a great first impression. For minimal expense and invested time, you can spruce up the surfaces and grounds at your house from to give the property curb appeal.
Step 1
Walk across the street and take photos of your home front. Give yourself a chance to see the house from a fresh angle, the way newcomers to the area will see it for the first time. Print out the photographs and review them yourself to see what looks out of balance, what looks old and run down, and whether the colors are attractive. Pay special attention to the landscape areas that can be viewed from the road to see what improvements can be made there.
Step 2
Freshen the front door, the shutters and the trim on the house with a fresh coat of paint. Earthy, dark tones accent a home front that has lighter colored exterior walls, while brick and wood houses may look best with white or cream-colored trim. Visit a large paint retail store or go online to one of the paint manufacturer's websites to try out different colors on their computerized design programs before you commit to buying the paint and putting in all the effort to get the job done.
Step 3
Check the lights, lamps and accessories on your home front. If the porch lights are outdated and look old, you will want to replace them with new fixtures that match your home's style. At minimum, clean the fixtures, polish them, and make sure that all the bulbs are working. You may also want to replace the house numbers that are old or have peeling paint. Get new numbers, or a number plate, that are large enough to see easily from the road.
Step 4
Prune or remove overgrown bushes and shrubs that may obscure the view of your home front architectural features. Many times foundation plantings become so large that they hide a part of the windows at the front of the house, leaving a less than desireable perception of the home. Pull out any dead or dying plants along the walkways and driveway and replace them with fresh, low-growing plants. Keep the lawn mowed regularly while the house is on the market, even if it means hiring a neighbor kids to do the chore on a routine basis.
Step 5
Step 5
Pressure wash the driveway, the front walkway and the sidewalk so that the surfaces are pristine and clean. A prospective buyer who sees dirty tire marks and oil spots may not look any further. If necessary, obtain commercial grease removing liquid to clear up any spots that may have accumulated over the years. When you have good-looking approaches to the home front, you set the tone for a welcoming atmosphere that encourages home shoppers to consider buying your house. If you have time and enough room in your budget, place a few blooming flower plants along the walkway to your home front to add an even brighter touch of welcoming color.
