Last Updated on August 11, 2022 by HortonTeam
When prospective buyers look at your home, the first thing they’ll notice is your home’s exterior and the way it presents itself from the road or driveway. Learn how to make your home stand out by employing our 5 ways to boost curb appeal of your house when it’s time to sell!
1. Start with Cleaning
If you’re looking for ways to boost curb appeal when selling your Newburgh or Evansville home, you’ll be pleased to know the first suggestion we have is inexpensive and effective. When living in a home, people often forget how much dirt and grime attaches to the home through the years until it’s time to sell. Fortunately some elbow grease and time is all you need to rectify this issue. Some areas of your home may require traditional soap and water treatment, such as sidewalks, siding, and windows. However, there’s a good chance that some of the grime may not come off the surfaces of your home completely. If you’re having trouble cleaning the exterior of your home completely, consider purchasing or borrowing a pressure washer. These machines are used to pressurize water so that the force is exponentially stronger than when administered through a regular hose. Pressure washers are exceptional cleaning tools, but you must take precautions; the high pressure can easily break or cut bare skin, and the pressure may be strong enough to break a window if directly aimed at the glass. As long as you’re careful, giving your home a good exterior cleaning is a great way to boost curb appeal!
2. Light it Up
When most people sell their homes, they imagine potential buyers stopping by on a nice, sunny day to view their home. While this is definitely the majority case, it’s equally important to ensure your home has a great nighttime aesthetic. Buyers will want to experience every portion of your home, and you never know when an interested party may swing by in the evening on their way home from work or some other engagement. Some buyers even expect to see nighttime photos of the home’s exterior online, so adding these can be a great way to showcase the outside of your home prior to the first showings. There is an endless supply of lighting fixtures, poles, and other options for outdoors, so you’ll need to study the selection before making a decision. The important thing to remember is that the style and aesthetic of your chosen lights should amplify your home’s appearance while staying true to the style and presentation your home currently has. You definitely don’t want the lighting to become the centerpiece of your yard or porch, but incorporating a touch of flair into your selection is a great way to boost curb appeal and make your home stand out to potential buyers.
3. Spruce Up Your Yard with Foliage
This next tip to boost curb appeal may not be applicable depending on what time of the year you’re trying to sell your home. If the current season is spring or summer, you can bet that buyers love seeing green around the home. This idea includes everything from your lawn, trees, bushes, and landscaping. If you aren’t convinced, consider looking at some before-and-after photos of lawns that have introduced landscaping and greenery to the home’s exterior. Maintaining your lawn height will be a huge plus to the home’s overall presentation, especially if your grass is a healthy green color. If you have several spots in the yard where grass has died or otherwise looks discolored, you can find a number of grass seed solutions or health-boosting formulas to enhance the appearance and color of your yard. You would also be wise to gather up and remove any debris associated with leaves, dead tree limbs, old shrubbery, and more. If your yard feels kind of empty, you may want to invest in adding young trees or various kinds of bushes around the home. Although desirable, privacy fences are generally expensive to construct; creating a natural fence with trees or shrubbery will most likely be substantially cheaper, and more and more buyers are preferring this style of separation in the homes they purchase.
4. Incorporate Furniture and Décor (Sparingly)
Another great tip to boost your curb appeal is to incorporate furniture and décor to the lawn, porch, and other areas around the home’s exterior. Just like with the lighting, it’s imperative that you choose decorations and furniture that match or compliment your home’s current look—you never want these items to be the star of your home show. You’ll find no shortage of these types of items in retail stores or online, so it will take some time to find the pieces that best compliment your home. If you’re struggling, reach out to our team for some recommendations. We also have several contacts who are professional designers, landscapers, and others who know how to stage and style a home properly. Consider adding chairs or side tables to porches, decks, and patios, while something like a gazebo may look much nicer with a selection of outdoor pillows or lights. Your home’s yard and exterior walls aren’t the only area that may need some attention; an attractive or eye-catching mailbox will help boost curb appeal. You may also look into replacing any address numbers found on your home or near the mailbox or anything else that is noticeably dated in appearance. Whatever you do, DON’T OVERDO IT. Buyers are attracted to accessories and decorations, but going overboard will make people cringe.
PRO TIP: People love and are drawn to symmetry. If you're adding any kind of decorations, furniture, greenery or more, try to create a symmetrical presentation if at all possible. Click To Tweet
5. Take Great Photos
Perhaps our most important tip to boost curb appeal is to take professional-level photographs of your home’s exterior when it’s ready to sell. The truth is that in 2019, almost all potential buyers will view your home online before ever stepping foot inside or even driving by. Because of this phenomenon, it’s essential that your home’s online presentation is pristine and inviting. Try to think of yourself as a buyer. Would you be interested in a home if it wasn’t very clean and the yard was full of debris? Unfortunately not, even if the rest of the home is to your liking. Take advantage of our other tips before taking photographs. If you don’t have a great camera or aren’t confident in your abilities, you may want to hire a local professional to shoot the photos. Fortunately, there are several professional photographers in Newburgh and Evansville, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding someone to hire. Whichever route you decide to take, just be sure your home’s appearance online is in top shape. Anything less than spectacular may cause some buyers to move on from your home without ever seeing it in person.
If you’re thinking of selling your home, planning to boost curb appeal is a must-do on our list of home selling tips. Whether you start big or small or invest a lot or a little, making these outdoor improvements will definitely attract more buyers when it’s time to sell.
