Curb Appeal - if you can't get buyers in the door, you can't sell a buyer your home!

In the Sunday addition of the Kansas City Star was an article on Improve your home's curb appeal.  There were three items mentioned which would provide improvement to your home.  I would like to add to my comments to these items based upon comments of home stagers, realtors and landscapers.

Yes, a realtor can provide comparables (even one from Olathe :-)) that will provide information on the highs and lows in your neighborhood and the average days on the market, but that really doesn't tell you the whole story.  Your realtor can provide you with more insightful information, but you will need to be open to suggestions and willing to listen.  Some of the comparable homes will be in need of repair and others will be pristine! Your realtor can help.

I believe one of the best ideas for you, the seller, to try to understand the value of your home is to preview other homes in the area.  This will give you an idea of what you need to do to make your home the most desired at the best price.  That's really the key to selling your home, the most desired at the best price.  Another idea would be to have a couple of landscapers give you an idea of what you can do to improve your home's curb appeal.  You could snap a few pictures of the front and sides of your home and take these into some landscaping companies for ideas and suggestions.

Now for the three items mentioned in the Kansas City Star:

■ The driveway. It was mentioned that a weathered, cracked, crumbling driveway may scare off buyers.  Then it goes on to say that repairing and beautifying the driveway can be done quickly and easily, and it will make a difference.  Well, repairing a driveway may be important, but it can also be expensive.  I believe the only way to do it right is to remove the old driveway and pour a new one.  Covering over the cracks will not take them away, and I just wasn't raised to do this to someone else.  Some of you will disagree and that's okay, but the cracks and flaking will come back.  It's your decision of course, I'm just not comfortable with this approach.  Regardless, the costs to repair it will run you just under $1,000 to several $1,000 depending on the size of your driveway.  There's a formula you can use, but I'll save that to one of my other posts on Building a New Home.  I believe there are better areas for your to invest your money for better curb appeal.

■ Paint. I couldn't agree more with this one.  If the paint on your home, trim, shutters, guttering, etc... is peeling, the rest of your home will have a depressed feeling about it.  Remember, first impressions are important to your success.  Here's a tip from a home stager, add color that draws a focal point of interest to your home.  You can do this with a bright contrast to set off your home.  The front door and shutters are good areas to do this.  Also, it's a very good idea to pressure wash your home, deck, sidewalks and driveway to make your home feel clean and fresh. 

■ Landscaping. I believe this one is critical, crucial and compelling.  Again, a home stager informed me that adding color around the front and sides of your home will give your home a warm and inviting feeling to visitors.  Keeping the lawn well maintained and fresh mulch or other ground cover provides added value.  Typically, I believe you can create the most value for the dollars spent on your home in landscaping. 

Your goal is to set your home apart from the competition.  Or at least give yourself and even shot at getting buyers in the door by equalling the competition.

One last thought, as you are evaluating the competition, make a list of the areas you can improve upon in your home then prioritize them and tackle them one at a time!

So what will you do? Are you ready to hit the ground running!

The National Association of Realtors says it just may make the difference between selling your property quickly, or having it linger on the market for months.

David L. Britt
http://www.heritage.net/

Guiding You HOME!