Curb Appeal Can Make or Break Your Closing

Curb Appeal Can Make or Break Your Closing

The exterior of the home can either make or break your home sale.  Just like books, homes are judged by their front covers. This is where the design to sell staging of a home can be very helpful.  

So what is “curb appeal”?  It is the first impression.  Yep, you guessed it, the exterior of the home and the landscaping is the first impression.  Now-a-days, when people are looking for a home, they check the internet first. Usually the first photo they see is the front of the house, so first impressions are very important.  According to the National Association of Realtors, 63 percent of homebuyers will drop by a home after viewing it online, if they like it.  If they don’t like the look of the outside of the home, they move on to the next one. This includes the front door way, the bushes, the lawn and even the driveway and sidewalks.  Home staging can definitely help with the potential home buyer’s first impression.

Here are 7 tips to help you spruce up your curb appeal and stage your home for a faster sale:

DIY or Hire a Contractor?

The homeowner and or realtor needs to decide if they are going to do the work themselves, or hire a contractor to get it done.  There are ups and downs to both. If the homeowner and/or realtor decide to do it themselves, it helps save them money because they don’t have to pay the contractor, right?  But does the homeowner have the proper skills to get it done correctly and in a timely fashion? Home staging companies have contractors that they already work with.

If the homeowner does not have the proper skills, the potential buyer would spot out the flaws and move on to the next home.  If they decide to hire a contractor to get it done, the contractor knows what needs to be done and how it needs to look. This may cost the homeowner a little bit more, but if they want their home to be sold quickly, then they would have to pay to get the work done.

Front Entry

How you decorate the front entry is very important.  It needs to be very welcoming. To spruce up the front entry, it could be a simple as updating the light fixture and give the front door an updated paint or stain job.  You can easily change the door knobs, which is fairly inexpensive. You could even add an inexpensive potted flower or bush.

If there is room for a little bistro set, a table and 2 chairs, that would make the front entry even more welcoming, home staging companies are known for this. The potential homeowner can see themselves sitting on the front porch in the morning sipping their morning coffee and enjoying nature and listening to the birds sing in the morning.  You can find something like this at the local flea market or even at a garage sale. This could be something the homeowner could do his or herself.

Bushes, Brush, and Hedges

If you have bushes, brush or hedges around the yard, these also need to be trimmed up.  Make sure the bushes trimmed and shaped. If the bushes, brush or hedges are not taken care of, the potential home buyer is going to be turned off.  They could be thinking, “If they can’t take care of the outside of the home, what does the inside look like?” That is why it is so important for the outside to look presentable.  The homeowner could potentially do this on his or her own as well, saving them some more money. If they would rather contract the yard work out, the home staging company has just the right contractor for the job!

Add Some Color

If it is Spring or Summer time, home stagers will add a little color to the front of the house by planting some flowers. If the holidays are around the corner, add some holiday decor, and the stagers don’t over do it.  Hang a wreath or welcome sign on the front door or in the yard. All of these little, inexpensive things could really help you spruce up the front of the home and close the home even faster,

The Lawn or Zero-Scape

Spring, Summer, or even the beginning of Fall calls for the grass  to be green and clean! If the lawn is not freshly mowed, it does not look clean or appealing.  Is the grass growing onto the sidewalk? It does not have a clean look to it when there is overgrowth, so you would need to edge it with the edger.  If you have a zero-scaped lawn, meaning it is rocks and/or mulch, you need to make sure you have clean lines. You don’t want your different colored rocks mixed in with the mulch.  If there is room, add a small garden to break up the rock or mulch. Maybe plant a few perennials in there just to give it a little “pop”. You could also plant a small tree in there too!  This will help make the home look welcoming from the curb.

Driveway and Sidewalk

Oil stains, or any other stain on the driveway is not very pretty either.  This can be fairly easy to take care of with a pressure washer. If you don’t already own one, you can easily rent one.  Your home staging company may know where to find one a little less expensive too! Raised concrete because of tree roots or a shift of the earth can be an issue.  For this, you may need to call a contractor. Make sure you get several quotes, for this is not a cheap task.

Home Must Have Curb Appeal

Curb appeal can set you apart from your competition.  Be mindful of what is going on around you and make your home “pop” just a bit more than the others in the neighborhood.  Update a few fixtures, add some color, trim the grass and the hedges, and take some extra time to clean up the drive-way.  This is why Tampa sellers will hire a home staging company in Tampa to help sell the home.

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