Curb Appeal - Making Your Home Attractive to Buyers

Once a homeowner has decided to sell their home, one of the first things they do is start to clean up the property. Making basic repairs to the interior of your home, such as putting down new flooring or painting the walls, is a start, but if potential buyers never get inside your home, they will never see these improvements. That's why real estate professionals stress curb appeal, or the view of your home from the curb. Those listings that have great curb appeal are much more likely to bring in more potential buyers, which in turn results in a greater chance of selling your home quickly. Some potential buyers will walk away if they see an exterior that appears to be in disrepair, even if the interior of the home is amazing.

There are a number of different ways of improving your home's curb appeal, and while some will cost you a good amount, others are fairly cheap or have no costs associated with them. The first free thing you can do is to always keep the grass mowed, the flowerbeds weeded, and the yard in general cleaned up. Dead flowers, bushes, and other plants should be removed and replaced as needed. This is fairly easy to do if you are living on the property while you try to sell it, but it could require weekly or biweekly visits if you are not and it's during the spring or summer. While this takes work, it doesn't take a lot of money and will keep the property in good shape. For those who have moved out of the area, hiring a neighbor or lawn service to keep the property maintained until it sells is an option.

Painting the exterior is another way of boosting curb appeal. While this takes a little more money and effort than simply keeping the grass mowed, it is worth the work in that it makes the home look newer. A fresh coat of paint can completely change the feel of the property, especially if the house hasn't been painted in years. Repainting trim and siding can be just as important, especially if they are showing defects. Sellers are cautioned to keep the color scheme fairly neutral, however—some buyers are turned off by bright colors or unusual shades. Even if you don't repaint the entire home, painting the front door and doing some touch-ups here and there can do wonders.

Another area to look at for repairs is downspouts and gutters. If the gutter system is fairly old, it may have places that are rusted or that have come unattached from the home. Repairing or completely replacing the gutters can help improve your curb appeal and may save you work later on if the buyer notices the gutters are in disrepair and adds that to the list of items they would like you to replace.

The final step of repairs and upgrades comes in the form of railings, planters, trellises, and the mailbox. All of these things need to be looked at with a critical eye and repaired or replaced if they do are visibly aged or damaged. Railings especially need to be inspected and tightened if they are loose. House numbers and the outdoor light should also be appraised and replaced if needed.

Then there are areas where you can add or improve upon your home's curb appeal. If you have no landscaping, for example, there are a few different ways of adding plants to the property without spending a lot of time or money. Adding potted flowers or hanging baskets to the porch, for example, is fairly easy to do and is fairly affordable. Adding window boxes is another solution, although this does take more work. The end result, however, can create a very welcoming "face" for your home.

While these are general suggestions that will help increase the curb appeal of any home, your real estate agent will be able to help you with improvements that are specific to your property. Your agent is your best resource when it comes to selling your home, which is why it's vital that you work with someone you feel comfortable with. For those in the GLBT community, this often means a Realtor who shares your values. Finding a GLBT real estate agent is easier today than it ever has been thanks to www.GayRealEstate.com. This resource includes a database of real estate professionals located across the country.

Improving your home's curb appeal is certainly not the only thing that goes into selling a home, and it may not even be the determining factor in the sale, but it can get more potential buyers through the door. While the saying of "you can never judge a book by its cover" does apply, having a great view from the curb certainly can't hurt.