Milpitas CA. Does Your Home Have Curb Appeal?

Milpitas CA.  Does Your Home Have Curb Appeal?

Milpitas CA.  Does Your Home Have Curb Appeal?  An enhanced curb appeal attracts more potential buyers.  That is because your property's facade is the first picture potential buyers see from the street.  Increase your chances of selling your home faster and at a higher price, by improving your home's curb appeal.  All it takes is minimum effort. 

Because of familiarity to your home's appearance, you probably don't notice deferred maintenance issues such as small cracks, peeling paint, uncontrolled shrub and tree growth or a dated entry way.  Someone seeing your home for the first time will.  So how can you critique your home's curb appeal?  Start from the street and look at your home.  What stands out?  What looks wrong?  Does your tree or shrub cover the view to your home?  Are there cobwebs surrounding your entry way?  Are your fixtures dated?

You will find that the tasks are small and are not too time consumig nor costly to repair.  Yet these seemingly "minor" issues can make or break your home's curb appeal; and, in the end, your home's salability.  Take a photograph of your home from the street.  It might give you a new perspective on your home's curb appeal.

Spruce up your home's curb appeal with the following tips:

1. Make it easy for potential buyers to find your home.  Display your house number in a prominent location, with medium to large numbers.  If possible illuminate the numbers so they can be seen from the street in the night or in limited daylight.  If your home is setback substantially from the street, install your house number prominently on the gate, pillar or fence post.
   
   When selling your home, it is important the home is clean.  A pressure washer is a great tool to remove exterior cobwebs and accumulated specially along the eaves.  Install extensions to your downspouts so water will not pool around your foundation.  Correct foundation grading so that the home's perimeter is higher than its surrounding areas.  
   
   To enhance your home, keep your lawn lush.  Cut, weed, cultivate, trim and edge not only your lawn but your flower bed as well.  Remove all garden debris.  Contract with a professional if your lawn is in bad shape and time is of the essence.  To ensure a uniform appearance re-sod instead of re-seeding balding areas in your lawn. 
2. If you place your home up for sale during the fall or winter months, remove all dead material from your garden.  Rake leaves off the lawn.  Remove garden implements from sight and store them in a shed or in the garage.
3. Clean, putty and repaint faded and aging doors.  Replace the hardware on your doors if applicable.  Ensure that the doorbell works.  Doubts that your home is in good condtion will crop up in the minds of your potential buyers who see the Realtor wrestling with a door lock.
4. Know that buyers scrutinize every corner of your home, specially the porch and entry way.  So keep them clean and tidy.  Make sure your doormat is clean and in good condition.  A tasteful wreath could enhance your entryway but dont overdo it with frilly adornments.
5. Cars are meant to be parked in a garage, not old sofas, broken lamps and scattered equipment.  Clear out the garage and put your items in storage if you have to save them.  A clean and clear garage allows potential buyers to determine if their car/s will fit.  Put garbage containers out to the side yard.  Have enough ligthing to illuminate the entire garage.
6. Degrease and seal the driveway.  If there are cracks use self leveling cement fillers. 
7. Clean out patios and walkways.  Replace or fill in any cracks.  Trim and eliminate weeds that may form around the patio and walkways.  Use boiling water or a propane torch to remove weed in an environmentally friendly way.

Your home is an expensive investment.   With some time, effort and minimal expense you can  put it in top curb appeal form.   The higher return on investment that you will get in the end will justify the means.  Milpitas CA.  Does Your Home Have Curb Appeal?

 By the way, if you or anyone you know are in the market to sell or buy a home, call (408-316-0793) or email me (rpablaza@comcast.net) and I will send you a free report on home buying and selling.  I am quite busy but I will always have time for you, your family and your friends.

For more information about my homeselling tips  check out my other blogs.

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Staging Your Home In Milpitas CA

How to Get Multiple Offers for Homesellers in Milpitas CA