We've all had the experience where you drive up to a house and the clients don't even want to go inside. It's almost immediate "They start commenting before you park in the driveway." You may know the inside of the house shows much better, but you just can't convince them to spend the time to even go inside. Where lots of choices in housing are available to the buyer, why should they? Unfortunately many can't envision or visualize the potential?
I can recall on many occasions prior to taking multiple courses on home marketing, when this did occur. So here are some of the points I've learned since taking the training, and some that I believe are just common sense. We've all watched "Curb Appeal" on TV, and most of these ideas are easy, simple and inexpensive. Haven't we all learned something from the show?
These are some inexpensive fixes that will help create that outside curb appeal and get that home "Sold" sooner.
Make These Simple Suggestions to your Seller
Paint or stain the front and garage doors, especially if they show any weathering. These are the first visuals where a potential buyer focuses. If garage doors are metal and dented, they may need to be replaced.
Any old, basically abandoned sheds or small structures, must be removed, the area reseeded, or the grass replaced.
Change any dated, outside light fixtures, or repaint them to give them a new look.
Fix the driveway. If it is asphalt, make sure cracks and crumbling areas are dug out and filled and then the whole driveway sealed. If it is cement, have large cracks filled and repaired. If possible give the driveway a coat of paint, it will add to the new look. The buyer must feel they can drive onto it, and want to see there car in the driveway!
Many homes don't have sidewalks, but many do, if so edge the grass alongside the sidewalks and the driveway, it makes the lawn and home look manicured, well cared for and maintained.
Landscaping bricks should be in their proper placement. Mowing, weed-eating sometimes moves them and this is something the homeowner rarely notices, but makes the property look unsightly.
Fill in bare dirt under large shade trees, plant shade-tolerant seed or plants in defined planters or groundcover. Landscape, properly for that area. Flower or landscaping beds should be cleaned out and updated for the time of year it is in your region. Place new bedding material down.
Prune and trim all trees and bushes. If a bush or tree is too overgrown, trim or remove it and replace it with a similar size and type if you can. If its bushes along a walkway, or in front of a window, trim them back, it will take years off the look of the home. If there is a tree limb(s) over the roof, have them removed.
If the house needs painting hire a professional, get it done!. Paint shutters and fix them if they are hanging crooked. At least this may help get your client in the front door, even if they negotiate a full paint job into the sale later.
If the house is sided, have it power-washed and have gutters and windows cleaned. Window cleaning inside and out makes the house feel updated and fresh, rather than old and dingy.
Make sure grass is in good shape, weeds are removed, trimming done regularly. So many sellers fall down on this job the minute the house is listed, and this is critical to selling a house quickly, especially one where the owners have already moved out. In snowy climates, removal must be done regularly too. If owners have moved out, make sure you have an AHS Home Warranty to re-assure buyers.
Keep garbage and recycle containers inside the garage, and if possible empty(no odors), along with all toys and equipment. Make sure the garage is neat and organized. Painted walls and floors also go a long way in this area and are inexpensive to do.
Decks should be washed and repainted or re-sealed; plantings around them cleaned, weed-free and looking good. Patio furniture should be in excellent condition. Even though it is in the backyard, this is the area where the family can envision enjoying the warm days and the new yard.
If the roof has missing shingles and they can be replaced inexpensively, suggest this be done as it may save negotiation over a completely new roof. Roof repair needs and costs should be minor or the homeowner might as well replace the entire roof.
If the homeowner wants to do a bit more, suggest solar lights lining the driveway or installing a more attractive mail box, or replacing plain doorknobs with something more custom.
If you have an evening showing, make sure lights are on outside and inside the house. This is warm and inviting.
If it's a holiday season, by all means decorate the home, but I suggest "Tastefully", keep it simple yet elegant! Sorry, no inflatable Santa or similar scenarios. Like the scent of baking cookies on the inside of the house, this really says "it's a home" and I can see myself enjoying life here! In the least, always have some greenery or flowers (yellow in spring and summer) for the season on the front step or porch; even a birdbath with a little garden around it says home.
To sell the house at top dollar and quickly, make it "appeal to everyone!" who will be seeing it, rather than the few who are looking for a "fixer upper." Make it stand out from the pack and be the "Envy of the Street!"
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