Selling Your Home? Create Curb Appeal

If you currently have your home on the market, your realtor may have mentioned
the importance of curb appeal. So, what is it, and how do you create it?
Curb appeal is when a home's outdoor decor looks, well, appealing from the curb (or sidewalk, or street), and elicits a second glance. Many people do their home
shopping online, and you want the picture of the front of your home to grab
their attention in a good way, and not cause them to click through to the next
home on the list. Buyers are not going to see how great  your home is on the
inside if they can't get past an unappealing outside.

There are many ways to use landscaping to your selling advantage. Stand on the sidewalk in front of your home and look with a critical eye, like you are seeing it for the first time. What stands out? Is it the overgrown evergreens? The weeds in the planting beds? The out-of-style light fixtures? Here are some ways you can enhance the front of your home.

Clean Up What You've Already Got
Nothing makes a house look as unwelcoming as an unkempt front yard. Pull the weeds, prune the trees and shrubs, and clean up any trash (including old newspapers and flyers).  Spade edge your garden beds, or replace any old or damaged edging. If you've got lots of yard ornamentation, like bird baths, sculptures, or flags, make sure they are tasteful, clean, in good repair, and that there are not too many. If you have cheap, old solar lighting, get rid of that too. Roll up and hide your hose. Store your garbage cans out of sight. No one likes clutter, inside or outside of the home.

Assess Your Hardscaping
Hardscaping are the brick, stone, or cement elements of your landscape, including the stoop, front walk, and raised garden bed edging. Repair or replace any parts that have cracked, sunk, heaved, or are otherwise dangerous or ugly. If you've got a paver walk that is showing signs of settling, it is relatively inexpensive to pull up the pavers and have the area recompacted and relaid. Redesign front walks that are too narrow or don't complement the home.

Add Welcoming Landscape Features
A focal point, such as a specimen tree, container planting or arbor can do wonders for increasing a home's curb appeal. A well-placed bench invites visitors to stay and take a closer look. Many homes in our area still hold onto old-fashioned evergreen shrubs in the front foundation plantings. It may be time to let those go and bring in some fresh plants for a more modern look. The front yard plantings should soften the edges of the home, draw attention with varying colors and textures, and provide four-season interest.

Don't Forget the Little Things
Get a big bang for your buck by replacing old mailboxes, coach lighting fixtures, and doorbells. And my personal pet peeve - house numbers. It is so inexpensive to buy a modern set of house numbers and really makes a big impact.

Just making some of these small changes could change your house from one that buyers pass up, to one that invites them to stop and take a closer look. Contact Tina Koral Gardens today for help with your outdoor decor.