Cheap & Easy Tips For Increasing Curb Appeal | Northrop Realty

Monday, April 27th, 2015 at 12:00pm.

Simple Tricks to Make Your Home Look More Attractive to Buyers

Selling your home takes a lot of effort but often what it takes to sell your home is just some small changes to increase the "curb appeal" to a prospective buyer. Here are 5 easy tips to sprucing up your home that are cheaper than any major home renovations or repairs.

1) Freshen Up The Entrance

Well kept house front entrance

Make the best first impression on buyers as they step up to the front door and make them instantly fall in love with your home.

  • Give the front door and garage doors a fresh coat of paint with an inviting color like a warm tan, honey or soft gray.
  • Clean (or replace and update) light fixtures if needed.
  • Update any distressed door knockers or door handles.
  • Add freshly potted plants as a great way to add color and dress up the front entrance.
  • Rent a power washer from your local hardware store to clean up the exterior of the home (including front porches, siding, garage doors, etc.) as well as any sidewalks that may contain dirt or green moss.

2) Do Some Basic Landscaping

  • Trim back branches or overgrown bushes that hide your home's front. This will better allow your home to be photographed and have a positive impact on the image buyers see when searching for a home. It will also make a better first impression when they see your home in person.  Don’t deter them with a hidden home!
  • Remove any dead branches, fallen trees, or piles of leaves to make your property look rejuvenated.
  • Pay close attention to your lawn. A blotchy lawn with patches of dead grass, dirt, or leaves can really turn a buyer off. Try to take care of it by mowing and repairing any poor areas as much as possible. The grass is always greener... at your house!
  • Keep up on weeding, trimming overgrown bushes, and lawn maintenance.

A well kept front yard for a mid-sized suburban home

Tip: Take a photo standing from the street and judge how well your home shows from that image.  Then take a photo close up so you are able to see if there are any problem areas that require your attention.

This image shows a beautiful home that used to be covered by tree limbs and leaves. The seller also added fresh mulch, trimmed the bushes and added plants to give a pop of color.

If you cannot afford for your front or backyard to be professionally landscaped, make sure to at least freshen up your flower beds with new mulch and a few bushes or plants.  Lining the garden with a stone retaining wall or brick border is a great touch to upgrade your garden!

3) Repair Cracks in Driveway and Walkways

A freshly cleaned and planted garden bed

Having a professional re-pave your driveway can be a bit costly, however, sealing your already paved driveway is a different story. There are plenty of DIY videos out there to help you do it yourself. The visual impact of a newly sealed driveway is worth every penny!  Cracks or stains will be clearly visible in photos and even more so under the buyer's feet.

4) Take a Close Look at All Your Windows

Windows are one of the few parts of your house that are assessed by potential buyers from the inside and the outside.

  • Be aware of ripped or torn screens and especially cracked windows. Screens can be removed completely whereas cracked windows need to be repaired!
  • Look to clean the windowsills, seal any cracks and give the glass a nice spray and wipe down on both sides!
  • Use that power washer you might have rented to clean your front steps and driveway to clean out your shutters of leaves and gunk. 

A well kept backyard with outdoor furniture and shed

5) Don't Forget About Sheds and Fences

People usually don't think to clean up their sheds because they don’t consider it to be part of the house. But it all comes with the property, so give your fence and storage shed a fresh coat of paint. 

Most people want to purchase a move-in ready home and cracked paint or a rusted fence is unsightly and means extra work from the buyer’s point of view. 

Give potential buyers that perfect, white picket fence they have always dreamed of!

You want to sell your home ASAP? Learn more about how to sell your home quickly and for your asking price.

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