How to bump up ‘curb appeal’: 12 tips for making your place show well
By Dana Dratch/ BANKRATE.COM
Friday, May 25, 2007
Curb appeal is the equivalent of charisma for your home - the quality that makes house hunters say “Wow!” when they first see the place.
A home with such “star quality” has no trouble attracting house hunters to come in for a look.
Conversely, properties that lack curb appeal can sit unsold for months.
“Chances are that if a home doesn’t have curb appeal, buyers are just going to keep on driving,” said John DeYoung of Brockton-based GoCurbAppeal.com, which preps houses for sale. “Your home’s interior can be beautiful, but if people never stop and go inside, it doesn’t matter.”
Here are 12 ways sellers can amp up any home’s exterior appearance:
Manicure the lawn
Nurture and mow the lawn so that it’s trimmed and healthy.
Then, make sure all plant beds have nice, crisp edging and plenty of mulch.
“(Edging) makes everything stand out,” said Roger Cook, landscape contractor on “This Old House,” WGBH-TV’s nationally syndicated show for do-it-yourselfers. “It gives the feeling that if the outside is being taken care of, maybe the inside is, too.”
Scrub the exterior
Having everything polished up isn’t just inviting. It also signals that the house has been well maintained.
Visitors will notice, even if only on an unconscious level, whether your home’s facade looks clean.
So, scrub the front entryway and all exterior windows and doors.
Then, shine the metal work, change all exterior light bulbs and get rid of any spider webs on light fixtures.
Fix the front door
The front door is one of the first things people notice about a home, so make it count.
Depending on your budget, you can spend $1,000 or more on a new door - or just paint the existing one to make it look nice.
Flowers and trees
“It’s always nice to have flowers in front of the house,” said landscaper Cook.
He recommends installing hanging flower baskets, beds of annuals, or both. Cook added that house hunters seem to like red flowers the best.
The expert also said planting trees in the proper spots can really enhance curb appeal. A professional can select the best tree varieties, sizes and planting locations to use.
Also have a professional prune existing trees to remove all low-hanging branches, especially any hanging over the house.
Pressure clean
Pressure cleaning can give a new appearance to walkways, driveways and sometimes even your house itself. You can hire a professional to do this for you, or rent the machinery and pressure clean by yourself.
Consult friends
Tom Silva, general contractor on “This Old House,” suggests having a couple of friends tour your house and give you an honest take of its appearance.
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