First impressions are everything – at least when it comes to selling your home. According to the National Association of Realtors, 63 percent of homebuyers will drop by after viewing a home they like online. What will they see? The home’s exterior should serve as a snapshot of what’s to come when potential buyers enter your home.
Curb Appeal Starts Online
Since 88 percent of homebuyers begin the process on the Web, photos are critical to getting homebuyers to the front door. Find the best time of day to shoot each room, avoiding too much sunlight, which will give the photo a glow effect. Overcast days are often the best time for a photoshoot. Take a digital shot and examine it as if you were a buyer, and get rid of extras – bikes on the front porch, platters stacked on top of the fridge – that don’t show your home at its best.
Act Like a Buyer
Walk around your entire home’s exterior with a critical eye. Take notes on what looks “off” and needs repairing, replacing, or cleaning. Get in your car and drive by slowly from both directions during the day and night. You might see something you’ve never noticed before, like a Frisbee on the roof or a missing piece of siding.
Add Some Polish
Paint is only about $25 per gallon, and painting the front door, trim and shutters is a great way to polish the look of your home. Other inexpensive fix-ups: a new mailbox (research your city’s regulations to make sure you’re up to code first), a new porch light fixture, and a cheery new welcome mat.
Plant Some Color
Except for the dead of winter, some types of annual plants are always in bloom. Spruce up your porch containers, window boxes and front beds with some colorful flowers for an instant lift. Never plant artificial flowers – a few inches of dark mulch will brighten up the beds without looking fake.
Garage Doors Make a Difference
Install garage doors with lots of visual appeal. Get the highest quality doors that you can afford for an instant upgrade. You don’t have to match the garage door color to the front door. Most designers are insistent that you don’t, in fact. Whether the house is finished in brick, wood or any other kind of siding, choosing the right tone of paint can make the garage doors disappear to highlight a bright front door.
