Is Your Home a Drive-By? Ways to enchance your curb appeal

Is Your Home a Drive-By?

Ways to enhance your curb appeal

By Cari Pilon

A great marketing tool that Real Estate Professionals use is the curbside flyer. This allows people who are interested in your home to grab a flyer and learn more about your home for sale.

What if no one gets out of their car to grab a flyer? What if instead they just continue rolling right on by or worse yet- floor it and screech off!

Here are some great tips to improve the exterior of your home and increase its curb appeal:

• Homes need to look ‘Fresh' - Peeling paint and sagging porches are huge red flags to buyers. It tells them that this home has not been cared for. Or it tells them to make a low ball offer. On the other hand, those that are freshly painted or in great condition command higher offers.
• Brighter is better - Make sure the home is well lit. It adds character to a home and allows nighttime showings to see what they are buying. Add inexpensive solar lights to walkways and in flower beds, make sure porch and garage lights are operable and replaced with new bulbs.
• Breathe new life into old fixtures - Your mailbox, house numbers or light fixtures should look like new and in good shape. Don't go and buy new ones, instead buy an inexpensive can of metal spray paint and give them another lease on life!
• Paint the front door - Paint the front door a universal color choice like red or green. Both colors are appealing to many and both are supposed to "invite wealth and prosperity" - can't go wrong there huh?
• Add color to your landscaping - Annuals are an easy inexpensive way to add instant curb appeal. Choose annuals that will last a season and that you can easily replace. Choose a color scheme that works with the exterior color of your home. Don't forget to bring some of that same color onto the front porch.
• Make a welcoming entrance - Buyers spend an average of 3-4 minutes at the front door waiting for the agent to open it. This gives them plenty of time to scrutinize what they see. Give them something pleasant to look at - a decorative planter, a clean, new welcome mat or an attractive wreath on the door.

Creating great curb appeal will increase the number of showings that your house will get; increasing the chances that your home will sell. Buyers will be paying attention to the small details on the outside, you should be too. Follow these simple suggestions and instead of being a drive-by, you will have cars coming to a screeching halt!