If you are considering selling your home, curb appeal is an important aspect to work on prior to officially listing your home with a real estate agent. It is a necessity to make a great first impression drawing buyers in from the moment they turn down your street.

We all want to receive the best offer on our home as it is one of our largest investments in our lives. If you are like the rest of us and want to benefit from a high return on improvements you make without spending a lot of money out of pocket, then these cost-effective tips will help you do just that.  

Clean The Exterior

A clean home is an attractive home. It doesn’t take much to whip the home’s exterior and surrounding areas into shape.

• Power wash the exterior of the home.

• Wash all windows. Create a nice sparkling shine on all of your exterior windows. If you have screens, do not forget to clean those as well.

• Sweep away any cobwebs, nests or other messes that may be lurking in high corners of the home’s exterior.

• Include the garage in this process as well. Many buyers look for a clean and attractive garage that goes with the home.

Outdoor elements can often create messes that we ignore throughout the year, but now that you are selling your home, it is important to impress.

Landscaping Maintenance

Landscaping is a great way to add curb appeal and value to your home. Presentation is everything when selling. Buyers love to know they can move in and the lawn has been well-taken care of prior to their ownership.

There are easy and cost-effective ways to add value outdoors and add value to your sales price.

• Add decorative pots with freshly planted flowers. Great places to add these are your front porch, deck or patio and near the garage. This will give your home a welcoming and fresh feel to it.

• Keep your lawn trimmed and watered. A nice green lawn that has been trimmed and edged looks neat and inviting. In addition, the buyer will feel as though they do not have a lot of maintenance on the lawn when they move in.

• Clean up loose debris. Make sure you keep the lawn free from branches, sticks or leaves that may have recently fallen due to a season change or recent storm.

• Trim bushes, foliage, and trees. Be sure the features in your landscape are up to par by shaping them or trimming them so they are neat and tidy. If you have a flower garden, be sure you have trimmed away any dead blooms from prior season blooming.

We all know nature takes its course, however, a home that has a clean landscape is a home that looks more inviting and more comfortable.

Add Lighting

Lighting creates such a great ambiance whether it is indoors or out. There are so many great lighting trends out there today and most are extremely cost-effective.

These are great ways to add that special touch with lighting.

• Be sure all of your current outdoor lights work. Replace any burnt out bulbs. If you end up with a showing in the evening, you want to be sure the potential buyers have lighting.

• Create a path with landscape lighting along your front walk or garden walk. Solar powered landscape lights work great and you can find them in many different finishes at your local hardware store.

• Add lighting to your garage. Many garages have outdoor lights already, however, if that is something you have not done to your home, it is a must. By strategically placing a light on each side of your garage exterior door, a sense of space and invitation is created.

• String lights in your pergola or around your patio. You can create an oasis that is thoroughly enjoyable in the evening by adding a few strings of lights. These can be found at local hardware stores in many different shapes and sizes.

Add Color

There are a few different ways to get your house to stand out from the rest in your neighborhood creating that special curb appeal we all desire. A buyer gets excited when they look at a home that has a different personality from its neighboring homes.

A few tips for adding those special touches are quick and easy all while adding value to your home.

• Paint the front door or replace it. If you have a door that can be easily painted after stripping, then explore color options to make your home pop. New door trends are not afraid of reds, blues, yellows or even pinks.

• Add splashes of color to your outdoor seating areas such as your patio or deck. Replace your old cushions, outdoor rugs, and accessories with new ones. Remember, the key is for everything to look fresh and inviting.

• Add a welcome sign to your front door. You can add color with a sign that welcomes your guests and helps your home stand out.

Color can be very welcoming to visitors exploring your home. Your home will look and feel alive to your potential buyers.

Replace the Roof

Replacing the roof of your home may seem a little extreme to you, however, the return on this investment is a win-win situation. You will be surprised how cost-effective replacing this larger item can be. The average roof costs around $7,000 to replace, however, the return on this can be as high as 105%.

The roof is very important, not only aesthetically, but structurally and buyer’s take this into consideration. After getting past all the beautiful upgrades you made to your landscaping and outdoor relaxation areas, they will start to think about the roof.

If your budget is not flexible for the cost of replacing the roof siding, then consider a couple of these tips to get by.

• Replace any individual shingles or flashing that may be in question.

• Wash your roof. Just like the siding, a roof can be power washed. Sometimes all it needs is a freshening up removing all those elements of nature that have built up.

Keeping your home in tidy order all year round can be difficult with busy schedules and the change of seasons. However, if you plan to put your home on the market, starting these essential tips as soon as possible will be in your best interest. Spread the cost out over a little time prior to listing and you will find that the money you put in for curb appeal is money well-spent.

It can feel overwhelming trying to remember all the important items when selling your home, so create a checklist and contact Jensen and Company to help.