Four Essential Steps ALL Homeowners Must TAKE: CURB APPEAL

These four essential steps all homeowners MUST take when selling their home here on the Crystal Coast are all about making your home look great to any buyer who comes to see it! Essential step #2 and the topic of this post is Curb Appeal. In the old days, “Curb appeal” was realtor jargon for everything prospective buyers can see from the street that might make them want to take a further look. Today, curb appeal will be front and center in the first image of a house listing online. Why? Because real estate agents know that attractive curb appeal is what gets buyers to want to come inside your home, or to stop on an online listing and click through the photographs. Agents also know that if the curb appeal is negative prospective buyers will either drive by slowly or click to the next listing. You should drive by your house and get a sense of your home’s curb appeal before you list your home for sale. Does what you see make you want to go inside? If not, perhaps you just might want to roll up your sleeves and tackle a few DIY projects to improve your home’s curb appeal.

Let’s get started with what real estate agents mean by curb appeal. Generally speaking, curb appeal is your home’s exterior, from the landscaping around the mailbox all the way to the front door. It includes the front door, lawn ,shrubbery and driveway. To ensure that your home makes a great first impression, examine your front entrance and remember that Neatness sells. Your lawn should look manicured. Your shrubs should be neatly trimmed and healthy. Your shutters and windows should look clean. Powerwash your driveway and place potted plants at the front door. Put these all together and buyers, whether in their cars or online, will probably want to see the rest of the house. When people see your home for the first time you want them to think “I can see myself pulling up in the evening and this being my home.”

The goal of all renovations, when you are going to list your house is to make it stand out from all the other homes on the market. And, what better investment in curb appeal is there than having the most beautiful entrance on the block? Buyers lap that stuff up. An attractive front entrance will help set the tone for your buyer’s entire viewing experience. Your efforts will not go in vain. A $75 investment in a power washer rental can increase your selling price by as much as $10,000. Paint your front door a shade of charcoal or rich jet black and you could boost your home sale price by more than $6,000! Is it any wonder that some homeowners will spend five figures on a custom door? And, overall, improved curb appeal can and does have an effect on how much a buyer may want to offer for a home by as much as 7%.

Now that you know what curb appeal means and you know that your efforts in improving your curb appeal will be rewarded, you also need to be aware that buyers have different expectations of curb appeal depending on the time of year. For example, say you want to list your home in spring. No doubt a new application of mulch is in order to make a landscape digging out from winter look clean and new. Apply a fresh layer in all your garden beds and around shrubs and trees. Tidy up the plants and flowers and remove any that are in bad shape. Replace with new plants or even decorative pots. It’s also the perfect time to trim and shape plant and tree foliage. Seasonal colors make every landscape pop. Flats of annuals are relatively inexpensive so choose splashes of several colors or use a more monochromatic scheme – whatever best suits the look of your home. If you any water features, remove any visible algae, leaves, and accumulated dirt so that the water is crystal clear. A water feature that doesn't look attractive or work properly is viewed as a negative to most buyers. And, after a long winter, it is a good idea to power wash grungy driveways, and dirty siding.

And, speaking of winter, what you do to enhance curb appeal during a winter listing depends on where you live. If you live in warmer climate like I do, focus on the lawn. Keep it trimmed, free of weeds, rake up all fallen leaves and branches and consider adding some pop to dormant flower beds with colored mulch or gravel. Choose colorful potted evergreen plants or artificial shrubs to add distinction to your front entry.

In summer, every buyer wants to see a lush, healthy green lawn. If that seems like a fulltime job, it is! Hire a lawn service. The beautiful green hues will beautify your landscape, and your home. Keep your flower beds fresh, so you have ground cover and color all season. To let buyers know they are welcome at your home placing a few comfortable Adirondack chairs or a patio set on the front porch will show buyers that there is room to relax when they arrive at their NEW home.

If you are listing in autumn, nature gives you a helping hand as brilliant fall foliage can automatically improve curb appeal to make your home look more attractive. But, don’t leave nature totally in charge. You still need to keep the lawn attractive by raking up falling leaves and patch up any brown spots in the grass. Once your lawn is looking its best, spice it up with a splash of color. As your summer plants start to fade, replace them with vibrant mums or other colorful flowers. During the fall, a simple wreath of fall foliage and flowers can add an inviting touch to your front entrance. Be sure to remove leaves and other debris from your gutters and downspouts. Staying on top of yearly and monthly maintenance lets buyers know you care about your home's upkeep. As the days get shorter, it becomes increasingly important to provide potential homebuyers with a safe path to your front door. Use decorative lights to illuminate walkways.

Now you know about curb appeal and what a little attention to detail can do for your bottom line. To learn more about real estate in Emerald Isle, NC, Bogue Banks or the Crystal Coast, sign up for my blog on my website, www.EIHomesforSale.com. Subscribe to Emerald Isle Vacation Home Specialist on You Tube. To receive my newsletter or my NEW book, “How to Enjoy Selling Your House,” text your email address to: 919-308-2292. Stay well and stay safe. Stay well and stay safe. So, come on down, please subscribe to my channel below and definitely return next week to this same bat channel at the same time of 9AM on Thursday for another episode of Emerald Isle Vacation Home Specialist!