May 18th, 2021 10:05 AM by Gregg Mower
Make Your House a Standout With Creative Curb Appeal Photo by Pixabay
When it comes to selling your home — and selling it quickly, fabulous curb appeal ranks right up there with location, location, location. Not only does a little cosmetic work make the home look inviting and well-cared-for, but it also helps it stand out in the neighborhood — an especially important feature in areas where it’s hard to differentiate one house from another. Of course, knowledgeable real estate help can also make a difference in how fast you sell and how much money you make from the sale.
What Is Curb Appeal?
In short, curb appeal is a term used to describe the first impression a property makes on prospective buyers. Standing on the curb in front of the house, what do buyers see? What do they feel? If a place is run down with patchy grass, peeling paint, dead foliage, and broken toys scattered about, the first thing they think is: The owners didn’t care much about the outside — is the inside in ill repair? What about systems we can’t see — did they take care of maintaining those? Good curb appeal also makes buyers more confident about a potential purchase — if everything looks great, there’s no reason to worry about putting extra money into fixing it up.
What Adds to Curb Appeal?
There are a number of quick and affordable fixes that can give your property a facelift. For example, according to Better Homes and Gardens, consider drought-tolerant plants and get your landscaping into shape by planting new flowers and pruning shrubs and trees. A fresh coat of paint inside and out can also make a house look and smell “new.” This is an especially good idea if you have unusual colors in your home — most buyers look for a neutral color palette. If you have siding or brickwork, power-washing is a good idea. When it comes to peeling exterior paint, a touch-up or full repaint can make the place look extra fresh. Resurfacing of driveways and patios can also give the curb appeal a boost.
What Can I Do Myself?
There are a lot of things you can do on your own if you have the time, the know-how, and the tools. You can also find skilled handy people on online job boards. For example, a freelance landscape designer can help you create a custom plan for the fraction of the price of a large company. Curb appeal also extends to inside spaces, so a deep cleaning, including window washing and attention to cabinets, baseboards, and crown molding, are good bets. According to Green Clean Restoration, steam cleaning can make carpets look and feel new. Updating fixtures, steaming tile, replacing toilet seats, and acid-washing swimming pools are other inexpensive, easy fixes.
What Else Can I Do?
If you really want to take your home prep to a new level, you can “stage” your house like a model home. Pack up personal non-essentials, knick-knacks, and items you usually store on your kitchen or bathroom counters. The idea is to make space clean, open, and airy. Buy a nice set of towels to display in bathrooms and some oversized throw pillows for the couch. Strategically place extra lighting and real or silk plants. A fresh doormat and area rugs can also add a touch of color and “hominess” to the house, as can a mildly scented candle or wax melting lamp.
Seasoned and knowledgeable real estate professionals like MAE Capital can be helpful in many ways, from helping you price your home to making suggestions about improvements that will help the sale but not break the bank. Unless you have an area of your home in complete disrepair or an issue that would negate a successful home inspection, major structural overhauls are unnecessary and are likely to cost you more time and money than you’d realize.
If you’re in the Rocklin, CA area and are looking to buy, sell, or refinance a property, MAE Capital Real Estate and Loan can help! Download the free app or call (916) 672-6130 today.
Written by Suzie Wilson thank you for your support