9 Curb Appeal MUSTS!

By
Real Estate Agent with Remax First Realty II 0790808
File:Bungalow.jpg
Potential buyers drive past your home all the time. The more often the take notice and call an agent to show the home, the more likely you are to get an offer. Convince them to take notice by using these 10 tips for great curb appeal.
  1. Your front yard must be immaculately landscaped. The lawn must be cut and trimmed neatly, preferably on the diagonal. The border between your plantings and lawn must be neat.
  2. Sweep the sidewalks, pathways and front porch daily. Put out a new colorful welcome mat. In autumn, leaves must be removed daily. In winter, snow and ice must be removed daily.  
  3. Your front yard plantings should be neat and attractive. No weeds. No dead branches. New mulch. Plant bright yellow flowers because the color yellow sells.
  4. Paint your front door so it looks clean and bright.  Buy new hardware for the front door, including a new mailbox.
  5. Wash the windows in the front of the house. Be sure that there are neat and clean window treatments in the windows. 
  6. The light fixtures in the front of your house must be in working condition and should provide soft lighting to all walkways and stairs without causing a glare. Take down the fixture and clean it, or replace it.
  7. Be sure your house number is easily visible.
  8. Power wash the front of the house to remove dirt.
  9. Maintain a neat and clean place for your garbage cans, preferably out of view on the side of the house.
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~ Wayne & Jean 

Union County, NJ - a great place to live and work!

If you're looking to buy or sell a property in Union County, call us at 908-917-4189 or email TeamZuhl@gmail.com.

 

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Comments (21)

Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

Curb appeal is very important. If the home does not look good from outside some buyers refuse to go in the house.

Apr 10, 2012 09:10 PM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Good morning Wayne & Jean,

Great list to make sure the curb appeal is perfect. It's so important..even if the buyer is only seeing 20% of the home when driving up.....first impressions can make or break the showing!

Apr 10, 2012 09:24 PM
Patricia Feager, MBA, CRS, GRI,MRP
DFW FINE PROPERTIES - Flower Mound, TX
Selling Homes Changing Lives

Wayne and Jean,

All of these tips are valuable ways to attact buyers! If implemented, each one makes a bold statement. As people pass by, they will get the impression, the people who live inside are clean and orderly.

SUGGESTED!

Apr 10, 2012 10:13 PM
Chris Jenkins-Sarasota Realtor
HomeSmart - Sarasota, FL
"Expect Success"

Great tips.  Landscaping and paint are two of the most valuable investments in making a home shine.  I was happy to see you include door hardware and light fixtures... a couple hundred dollars in upgrading these often worn fixtures starts the buyer's experience off on a positive note. 

Jan 12, 2013 10:33 PM
Gary L. Waters Broker Associate, Bucci Realty
Bucci Realty, Inc. - Melbourne, FL
Eighteen Years Experience in Brevard County

Its all about first impressions. Pull up and set a negative opinion it is likely to be difficult to change inside.

Jan 12, 2013 10:36 PM
Paige Floyd Hart
Bright Light Land Title Company, LLC - Niceville, FL
Great post! The pressure washing is an important note. Thanks!
Jan 12, 2013 10:44 PM
Dana Basiliere
Rossi & Riina Real Estate - Williston, VT
Making deals "Happen"

Wayne & Jean,

Good point. You cannot sell a house if you can't get folks inside. Many of my buyer customers and clients do a drive by to see if they want to go see it. 

Jan 12, 2013 10:56 PM
Hella Mitschke Rothwell
(831) 626-4000 - Honolulu, HI
Hawaii & California Real Estate Broker
If there's a porch, a sitting area would be inviting.
Jan 12, 2013 11:45 PM
Rob Arnold
Sand Dollar Realty Group, Inc. - Altamonte Springs, FL
Metro Orlando Full Service - Investor Friendly & F

Great list. I am amazed at how many houses do not have house numbers on them. 

Jan 13, 2013 12:53 AM
Michael J. O'Connor
Diamond Ridge Realty - Corona, CA
Eastvale - 951-847-4883

I usually do a couple of things differently.  I have the mailbox painted instead of replaced - in my area most of them are at curbside and I can get both the box and post refreshed in five minutes.  

The light fixures on the front should almost always be new to incorporate the latest style, not just in working order.

I agree with fresh flowers but I am careful on the color choice as sometimes yellow doesn't look right in our area.

Great ideas!!

Jan 13, 2013 01:04 AM
Kimo Jarrett
Cyber Properties - Huntington Beach, CA
Pro Lifestyle Solutions

Great tips especially cutting the lawn diagonally. The challenge is getting the seller to cooperate and perform these simple yet effective tasks to sell their home. 

Jan 13, 2013 02:18 AM
Rosemary Brooks
BMC Real Estate - 209-910-3706 - Stockton, CA
The Mother & Daughter Realty Team

Great tips for the curb appeal.  Things that do not cost an arm and leg. Well... except painting but if its only the front door, might not be much. Thanks for sharing.

Jan 13, 2013 04:01 AM
Rafi Footerman
Mid Jersey Inspections - Edison, NJ
Home Inspector, Mold Inspector, Radon and More!

The flag and flowering plants on the porch are a great touch as well.  The flag especially invokes a sense of pride in homeownership for most.

Jan 13, 2013 06:23 AM
Diana Foster
BKG brokerage - Braselton, GA
Realtor- Helping you find the perfect home!!

Great information for sellers. Thanks for posting.

Jan 13, 2013 12:28 PM
Kathleen Frawley
Keller Williams 916 730-4404 Elk Grove, Wilton, Folsom, Sacramento - Wilton, CA
South County Sacramento, 916 730 4404

Yep! no second chance to make a first impression.

Jan 13, 2013 01:23 PM
Bob Miller
Keller Williams Cornerstone Realty - Ocala, FL
The Ocala Dream Team

Hi Wayne & Jean, we tell sellers that some buyers won't even stop to look if there is not curb appeal.

Jan 13, 2013 07:15 PM
Wayne Zuhl
Remax First Realty II - Cranford, NJ
The Last Name You'll Ever Need in Real Estate

Thanks for stopping by! Curb appeal makes the difference between someone seeing the houes and possibly making an offer, or driving by.

Jan 13, 2013 07:49 PM
Women of Westchester Working Together
Women of Westchester Working Together - West Harrison, NY
Women helping Women get ahead

i totally agree. and not only do we need curb appeal when we are selling our homes, what about if you are living in them and sick to death of the way the front of your house looks! we are on a limited budget for household upgrades and repairs, but something needs to be done. do you have anyone you can recommend that would come on out to westchester county NY to give us ideas on what to improve (i don't mean like making a front porch or something like that). i mean someone who can look at what's going on, give us ideas for landscaping and paint and things like that? i am hoping you can give us some references since you are in nj not too far from where we are. realtors are usually a treasure trove of info. keeping fingers crossed might point me in the right direction. this is a great list you've compiled. i completely agree! -Lisa Swartz, CMP Rye Brook, NY

Jan 13, 2013 09:12 PM
David Herren
Best Atlanta Properties, LLC - Atlanta, GA

i love the American flaf too!  Great tips.  Thanks for the post.

 

Jan 14, 2013 07:39 AM
Rob Renk
Center Street Lending - McKinney, TX
AE | Fast Fix/Flip Loans for Residential Investors

Neat and clean will do the job.  It must look trimmed and buffed so thatthe buyers can imagine themselves there.

Jan 15, 2013 04:01 AM