Does Your Home Say "Curb Appeal"?

Brittany Barnes
Apr 13, 2015
4 min read

Hello Houstonians & Fellow Real Estate Lovers!

Selling your home comes with a lot of decision making. It’s easy to just say “Ahhh forget it….JUST put the darn thing on the market and we’ll wait & see what happens”. When doing THAT, there are only 2 possible outcomes:

1) Your Home Sells.

2) Your Home Doesn't Sell.

It’s that simple. Of course a motivated seller would opt out for option 1, but that’s easier said than done since your home is competing with like properties in the area. I previously posted a blog “Unfortunate Reasons Why Your Home Isn’t SOLD, yet”. I listed just a few reasons as to why you might be having trouble finding a ready, willing and able buyer for your home. One of the items that I briefly touched on was getting your home ready for the market. To attract a buyer who is ready to buy & move NOW, your home must show as “move-in ready”.

When I talk to my seller’s about what changes are necessary to compete with other homes that are currently on the market, there are quite a few things to take into consideration. How much will this cost? How much value will it bring? How long will it take? And last but NOT least, how convenient is it? In this post I’ll touch base on some of the items that will instantly add curb appeal to your home in order to bring those buyers in!

Power Wash & Painting

It’s amazing what a good power wash and paint will do for the exterior of your home. Remember that most buyers will do a “drive-by” of your property before even making an appointment to see the inside. This would be your homes first impression. The only bad thing about a first impression, is that you only get one….so DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME! Check out the difference that a power wash and a layer of neutral paint made…which one would you rather purchase?

Landscaping

Your landscaping takes a lot of upkeep & maintenance (especially if you live in a rain forest like Houston!), everyone knows that. Whether you hire a landscaping company to keep your lawn nice and pretty or you do it yourself, it says a lot about you as a homeowner. When a buyer looks at a run down lawn with dead flowers and high weeds, it scares them a bit. It raises the question “Well…if the front yard isn’t well maintained….how has the rest of the house been cared for??” I know it might seem a little ridiculous & harsh, since it’s YOUR home and you can do whatever you’d like with it. But that’s just it, it’s been your home. Buyers want a home that has been loved and that they can call THEIR new home….not “your old home”.

Create A Walk Way

Don’t you like when things are convenient? So do buyer’s. If your home doesn’t have a clear walk way to get in and out of front and back doors, I recommend creating one. There are a ton of different ways to make an access way leading up to your beautiful home. You can go with the traditional single lined concrete pour, put down individual foot stepping stones, lay a beautiful brick that will compliment the exterior of your home…whatever fits the current style of your home.

Rain Gutters

Rain gutters are very important (especially in the south or anywhere that has a lot of wet weather). Something that I always recommend to my sellers is to clean out their gutters before we put their home on the market. It’s easier on the naked eye if everything is nice, clean and free flowing to prospective buyers. If your gutters are inoperable, I highly suggest that you have them repaired/replaced before listing your home for sale. The last thing you want is for a hot buyer to walk up to your house and get DRENCHED as they are making their way into your home. Talk about a first impression….

Window Boxes

Window boxes are so adorable aren’t they? They give your home the opportunity to have that pop of color, while keeping a neutral exterior paint. Not only are they really inexpensive, but they are super easy to create and put up yourself. It’s a perfect DIY project to add some curb appeal to your home.

Hide an Eyesore

Don’t you hate when they stick those horrid electrical boxes and wiring on the side of your beautiful home? It’s such an eyesore and can be so distracting. Since you can’t move the electrical box, paint it the same color as the exterior of your home. This will camouflage the box and its wires to allow buyers to focus on your home as a whole. Even your A/C unit or big electrical box in the backyard can be hidden with a nice fence or pretty flowers.

Style Your Garage Door

Update your garage by adding hardware like many new home builders do. This DIY upgrade should cost you less than taking your kiddos out for lunch. Super easy and gives such an updated look to make your home stand out from others.

House Numbers

A lot of people forget to revamp their house numbers after so many years. Remember, we want to provide convenience to prospective buyers. If it’s hard for them to find your home, that’s already something negative in a buyers mind. Slap a fresh coat of paint on them or even replace the numbers if you want a different style. You want to make sure the numbers are big enough to read from the street, but not taking over the look of your home.