Most buyers will form an opinion about your house as soon as they pull up. That first impression is really important! It may be cliche but you want your house to have a wow factor, something that grabs them and makes them want to come inside and see more. 63% of buyers will drive by the house after seeing it online (says NAR stats). They are going to see your front yard, house exterior, driveway. You want them to schedule a showing appointment after they see the outside of your home!
Curb appeal includes your grass, landscaping, trees, bushes. If any of these are not fresh, colorful, and exciting, consider sprucing them up! Plant new flowers or plants. Prune overgrown bushes and trees. If you have trees touching the house, make sure you trim them back from the side of the house and the roof. If you have large bushes in front of your house or front windows, trim them to let people see the house and let in more light. If they are very large, consider removing them. Mulching your garden can give your beds an instant upgrade.
Your curb appeal also includes your front exterior, siding, roof, gutters, front door, and windows. If your roof is old and needs to be replaced, talk to your Realtor about replacing it. Your buyer pool will inspect the roof and ask about its age and condition. Though it can be a fairly expensive job, you should consider replacing it before you list your home for sale. You should take care of anything broken or in need of maintenance, so clean your gutters and make sure the shutters are attached properly. Consider repainting trim and your front door so that your house pops. Your buyers will be spending some time looking at the door and what is around it while their Realtor is getting the key out of the lockbox. A freshly painted front door and blooming plants will send a much better first impression. Is your siding dirty? Power wash the house. And give the same treatment to anything else in the front of your house – fencing, driveway, mailbox, etc. These items are important to your buyers. If your buyer has children or a dog, your fenced yard may be a deal breaker for them. Make sure your fence is repaired if necessary. If you have any cracks in your driveway, bring a contractor to patch them. This is not a job a new buyer will be eager to tackle. Take a look at your house numbers. Make sure they are easy to see and clean. You want people to be able to find the house! If you have old, outdated looking numbers, you can replace them very cheaply for an updated look.
Not only does good curb appeal encourage buyers to see more, but it will also signal to buyers that you take care of your property. This is going to be very important to them.
