Easy ideas to improve your curb appeal

Easy ideas to improve your curb appeal

Image courtesy of Rosemary Ratcliff at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Getting ready to sell your home? Make sure their first impression of your house is a good one.  None of your effort will make a difference if you can’t get the buyer past the front door! Great curb appeal will entice buyers to take a look at your home.  In fact, curb appeal can mean the difference between a sale or not selling.

Before you decide to sell

Luckily,  you can  have your house looking its best inexpensively with just a bit of effort.  Simple projects include:

• Paint the front door.  Pick a colour that compliments the brick of the house. 
• Paint the garage door.  The garage door colour should match the mortar colour between your bricks. It should not match the front door.  Why? You want people to look at your front door, not your garage!
• Replace house numbers and mailbox. Make sure the numbers are large enough to be seen from the road.
• Upgrade your doors hardware.  If your doorknobs and knocker are looking worn or not looking well, consider replacing them with new ones.
• Add new outdoor lights. Brass is out – oil rubbed bronze, black or pewter fixtures work best.
•  Set out planters with bright flowers, to give the front door an immediate lift. 

When you List you house for sale

 Once your house is listed, here are a couple of things you need to do to make your house look it`s best to potential buyers:

• Remove scatter rugs outside the front door.  These are small to begin with and will simply draw the buyers eye downward, instead of straight ahead into the interior space of the house.
• Remove tattered screen doors.  Let your potential buyer see the front door.
• Keep the lawn mowed and the edges trimmed.
• Add fresh mulch to all flower beds.  Use dark brown or black mulch; stay away from red mulch.
• Remove all garbage cans and recycling bins from view, and store them where they are not visible from the road.
• Keep garage doors shut; don’t leave them open for long periods of time.  While people expect garages to look like garages, there is little to be gained by having the contents on full display when potential buyers are likely to drive by.
• All toys and bikes should also be stored out of sight.

Following these easy ideas for improving your curb appeal will make your house look tidy and will let potential buyers know your home is well cared for.

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