Home Selling Advice to Help You Attract Potential Buyers
A large percentage of home buyers decide whether or not to look inside a
house or take it seriously based on its curb appeal—the view they see when
they drive by or arrive for a showing. You can help make sure they want to
come inside your house by spending some time working on the its exterior
appearance.
It's difficult to look at our own house in the same way that potential
home buyers do, because when we become accustomed to the way something looks
and functions, we can't see its faults. Decide right now to stop thinking of
the property as a home. It's a house—a commodity you want to sell for the
highest dollar possible.
Curb Appeal Exercise
The next time you come home, stop across the street or far enough down
the driveway to get a good view of the house and its surroundings.
- What is your first impression of the house and yard area?
- What are the best exterior features of the house or lot? How can you
enhance them?
- What are the worst exterior features of the house or lot? How can you
minimize or improve them?
Park where a potential buyer would and walk towards the house, looking
around you as if it were your first visit. Is the approach clean and tidy?
What could you do to make it more attractive?
Take photos of the home's exterior. If you have a digital camera, view
the color versions first, then remove the color and look at it in black and
white, because it's easier to see problems when color isn't around to affect
our senses.
Make a list of the problem areas you discovered. Tackle clean up and
repair chores first, then put some time into projects that make the grounds
more attractive.
- Kill mold and mildew on the house, sidewalks, roof, or driveway.
- Stow away unnecessary garden implements and tools.
- Clean windows and gutters.
- Pressure wash dirty siding and dingy decks.
- Edge sidewalks and remove vegetation growing between concrete or
bricks.
- Mow the lawn. Get rid of weeds.
- Rake and dispose of leaves, even if your lot is wooded.
- Trim tree limbs that are near or touching the home's roof.
Don't Forget the Rear View
Buyers doing a drive by will try their best to see your back yard. If
it's visible from another street or from someone's driveway, include it in
your curb appeal efforts.
Evening Curb Appeal
Do your curb appeal exercise again at dusk, because it isn't unusual for
potential buyers to drive by houses in the evening.
One quick way to improve evening curb appeal is with lighting:
- String low voltage lighting along your driveway, sidewalks, and near
important landscaping elements.
- Add a decorative street lamp or an attractive light fixture to a front
porch.
- Make sure lighting that's visible through front doors and windows
enhances the home's appearance.
Landscaping Decisions
There are times that adding elements to your landscaping can improve curb
appeal, but there are other times when removing something is even
more effective.
Most buyers cannot visualize changes, and often won't take a second look
at a house if the first look doesn't appeal to them. Home buyers who can
visualize changes, and are prepared to make them, expect you to
reduce the price of the house to compensate for the work they plan to do.
A Few Curb Appeal Tips
- If you can budget it, a fresh paint job does wonders for a dingy
house. Drive around your town to find color schemes that are appealing.
- Install a more attractive front door, maybe something with leaded
glass inserts.
- If you can't justify the cost of a new door, consider replacing plain
doorknob hardware with something more attractive.
- If new hardware is beyond your budget, repaint or stain the door and
polish the hardware?
