The average home sells for just under $300,000 after sitting on the market for around a week. These are good numbers, but don’t come without effort from sellers.
As any real estate agent will tell you, one of the best ways to speed up the sale of your home and get more for it is to ensure that potential buyers will fall in love at first sight.
This, of course, means taking steps to declutter, organize, and beautify the inside of your home, but your home’s exterior is just as important!
When you make an effort to increase curb appeal, buyers will want to live in your home before they ever see the inside. If you’re unsure how to do this, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
To learn how to increase curb appeal and make the sale of your home smoother, as a result, all you have to do is keep reading!
1. Replace Porch Hardware
Sometimes, it’s the simplest adjustments that have the biggest impact. Replacing the hardware around your porch is easy and inexpensive but can change the look and feel of your entryway completely.
Inspect your house numbers, the knob and lockset on your front door, your wall-mounted mailbox, and your porch light. If any of these items have seen better days or could use an update, replace them.
2. Fix Up Your Front Door
While you’re working on your front porch, take a look at the door. Your front door is the focal point of your home’s exterior, whether you want it to be or not, and its appearance can have a great effect on the opinion of potential buyers.
First, clean off the door. You don’t have to invest in a power washer to do this, all you need is a garden hose and a clean cloth or two. Once the door is clean, use a dab of metal polish on the fixtures.
To take it a step further, consider painting the front door a fresh, modern color. As long as the color complements the rest of the exterior, you can’t go wrong with a fun front door! Last but not least, add an attractive wreath or door decoration to complete the transformation.
3. Add Outdoor Furniture
If you have room on your front porch to do so, adding a few pieces of outdoor furniture can do wonders for making your home feel welcoming. Make your front porch look like a place you’d want to spend a crisp fall morning with a cup of coffee!
A couple of rocking chairs and a small table to hold coffee and snacks can go a long way. Be careful not to make the space feel crowded.
To finish the space, add a few potted or hanging plants. Don’t worry if you don’t have a green thumb, there are a number of beautiful plants that even someone with no experience can keep healthy.
4. Whip Your Yard Into Shape
Mowing grass and pulling weeds isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time, but the importance of curb appeal landscaping cannot be overlooked. Start with the yard – pick up any debris such as sticks and leaves before you start mowing.
Once your yard is clear, mow the grass, clean up the edges with a weedeater or edger, then blow away all the clippings and dirt. Take care to blow off the driveway, porch, and any walkways as well.
If your walkways could use a cleaning, now’s the time to tackle the job. As with cleaning your porch, using a power washer is overkill. Instead, use your hose on the highest setting.
5. Create Pops of Color
Speaking of your yard, if you don’t have any plants or flowers, it’s a good idea to add some. This creates a warm and cheery atmosphere while adding pops of color to your landscape.
Now, when it comes to flowers, a little can go a long way. There’s no need to make your front yard look like a colorful forest, adding a flower bed near the front porch and a few flowers around a prominent tree or your mailbox is more than enough.
If you add flowers to the porch area, keep symmetry in mind as you plant. Symmetrical designs are pleasing to the eye and will make your home appear more attractive.
6. Install Outdoor Lighting
Let’s say a potential buyer spends the day at work researching homes for sale and finds your house on a “buy houses here” listing site. When they drive by your house after work, it’s already dark. Don’t you want your home to be just as appealing then as it is during the day?
To do this, you need some outdoor lighting! A great place to start is with walkway lighting, as you can find solar lights that will add charm to your home’s exterior without adding to your power bill.
Accent lighting to illuminate a beautiful tree or the exterior of your home will provide the dual benefit of adding curb appeal while making your home feel safe and secure.
Increase Curb Appeal to Maximize Home Sale Profits
Selling your home isn’t as simple as putting a for sale sign in your front yard and calling it a day (as much as we might wish that were the case!). Putting a bit of work into your home’s appearance is crucial to decreasing time on the market and increasing profits.
By taking these steps to increase curb appeal, buyers will fall head over heels for your home, and you’ll find that selling it wasn’t nearly as difficult as you were expecting.
