Chances are good that one of the first things to pop up in your mind when you start thinking about selling is how your home compares to the competition. What are buyers going to notice about your home when they stack it up mentally against comparable homes on their short list? Hopefully the things they notice are all on the positive end of the spectrum, but just in case you can think of a few things that they might point out on the negative side, now is the time to fix those bullet items. Beat your potential buyers to the punch so they never even have to utter the words, “Well, we’re going to have to do/replace/fix that right away.” Keep scrolling to learn four ways to improve your home’s curb appeal to catch buyer attention in a good way!
Repaint The Front Door
When it comes time to sell your home, the very first goal is to make it feel as welcoming as possible to buyers. Nothing does this better than your front door, so make sure it’s looking its absolute best! The easiest and most cost-effective thing to do is repaint it. Consider a bold, happy color, but not one that sticks out like a sore thumb (in other words, don’t go neon right before you put your home on the market). Look on Pinterest for ideas, or drive around nearby neighborhoods to get color ideas. Some of our favorite suggestions include a rich brick red, soft olive green, or even a simple bright white. If you want bonus points, take this time to update your front porch light, too!
Update House Numbers
When’s the last time you took a long, hard look at the address numbers displayed on the front of your home? If you’re having trouble remembering when (or if you can’t even remember when you installed them!), now’s the time to give it some thought. You might not need to notice those numbers, but your buyers certainly will, so consider replacing them with something a little more modern, or in a more eye-catching finish, such as bold brass or modern matte black. If the numbers themselves are still going strong, but they just need a little refresh, try spray-painting them a new color. One final question on this topic: are your house numbers clean and easy to spot from the street? This is key to drawing potential buyers in—literally!
Replace Dated Light Fixtures
You and I know that it’s actually really simple to swap out old lighting, but your potential buyers might not. Find new inexpensive off-the-shelf fixtures from your local hardware store, and put them up in place of older fixtures that are ugly, dated, or no longer functioning. Sometimes just replacing the fixture in a similar style but in an updated finish (think: matte black, which is all the rage right now), is all you need to do! Resist the urge to spend hundreds on a really flashy new dining room chandelier. Simple is best in this case so that you, theoretically, appeal to every buyer.
Trim Back Your Landscaping
While you might be willing (or able) to look past a few overgrown shrubs in your side yard, a potential buyer will likely zoom in on that type of detail. It’s scary to admit, but they might even jump to conclusions about your unkempt landscaping, leading them to wonder about how well you maintained the critical parts of your home’s infrastructure! Set aside one weekend to really “dig into” your landscaping. Replace anything that needs replacing, and trim what needs to be trimmed so that your home can really shine.
Moral of this story? Put yourself in the shoes of a potential buyer and give your home a critical once-over. The necessary changes you spot might be small, but they could add up to have a big impact on the final sale of your property!
By Carrie Waller, dreamgreendiy.com