When putting your home on the market, you certainly want to take every step that you can to help increase the value of your property. One relatively simple way that you can accomplish this goal is to create curb appeal.
What is Curb Appeal?
The phrase “curb appeal” refers to how your home appears when viewed from the street by someone who is just passing by. The greater the curb appeal, the more appealing your home will be to potential buyers. The more appealing your home looks from the outside, the more likely someone is to request to see what the home has to offer on the inside. In other words, curb appeal helps to draw potential buyers into your home, thereby helping to increase your chances of getting the home sold quickly and at a price you desire.
How Can I Create Curb Appeal?
To create a curb appeal, there are several different steps that you can take. Perhaps the simplest way to create curb appeal is to keep your yard free from clutter and to properly maintain your yard and landscape. A well-kept yard is not only attractive, but it also signals to potential buyers that your home is well-maintained, too.
To further increase curb appeal, you can also give the outside of your home a fresh layer of paint. If you have vinyl siding or of the general condition of the siding is in good shape, simply painting your front door with a fresh layer of paint may be all that is necessary to increase curb appeal in this way.
Flowers are also a great addition to help create curb appeal. Rather than creating flower beds, you can achieve this goal by simply placing potted plants on the outside of your home. As an added bonus, these potted flowers can be picked up and taken with you to your new home.
If you really want to dress up your property, you can also add a deck or patio to help increase curb appeal. As an added bonus, these additions also create a more livable outdoor space, which is also appealing to potential buyers.
Which Options Give Me the Most “Bang for My Buck”?
Recently, the National Association of Realtors conducted a survey and they found that the number one project that appealed to the most buyers was simple lawn care. According to the study, standard lawn care service recovers 267 percent of the cost when selling a home. The next most valuable project was landscape maintenance with tree care. Together, these projects recover 100 percent of the cost for homeowners once they sell their homes.
In terms of which features actually make homeowners the happiest, the survey found that fire features received a perfect 10 on the “Joy Score.” This score was determined by adding the percentage of happy respondents to the number of those who were satisfied upon the completion of the project. Other projects that scored with a 9.7 or higher included adding a new wood deck, a patio, statement landscape and a water feature.
