Everyone’s heard the expression you have one chance to make a good first impression. Well the same holds true for your home when you are trying to stage it to sell. The first thing that people will see when they drive up to your home is the exterior. This includes your driveway, mailbox, front porch, garage and more. Don’t you want to give a good first impression? If you are currently selling your home, or will be doing so soon, give your home a little curb appeal. Here are some tried-and-true tips for staging your house from the outside that will invite people from the start.
Start with the Yard
Just because you plan on moving soon does not mean that you should neglect your lawn. If you don’t have time to cut and fertilize it, pay a landscaping company to do it for you. Nothing is worse for a prospective buyer than seeing fields of dandelions growing in the yard that they will have to take care of after they move. Next, pay attention to your flower beds and shrubs. If they aren’t already, make them look manicured and beautiful by doing some weeding and trimming before you list your home for sale. This will give your home instant curb appeal.
And don’t forget about the backyard! Just because you can’t see it from the front, doesn’t mean that homeowners will not look back there. Again, if you lack the time to take care of your yard properly, hire a local lawn or landscape company to do this for you. Finally, add some color to your yard with a few flowering shrubs and some potted plants on the front porch for a pop of color. This will make your home more inviting from the start.
With Curb Appeal, It’s the Little Things.
Now let’s talk about a few small touches that might make a big difference in home buyer first impressions. First, consider items such as your lamps or light posts. Could yours be replaced with new fixtures, or do they just need a coat of paint or some cleaning, dusting and debugging? Does your mailbox look worse for wear? Give it a fresh coat of paint and make it over for just a few dollars. Don’t forget about windows! Get rid of the dust and smudges by having the exterior windows and screens cleaned by a professional for an instant shine. Finally, consider your front porch and driveway. Make sure it is well dusted and looking spic and span with few visible stains. These little things can go a long way toward giving your home its proper curb appeal.
Now let’s talk about a few small touches that might make a big difference in home buyer first impressions. First, consider items such as your lamps or light posts. Could yours be replaced with new fixtures, or do they just need a coat of paint or some cleaning, dusting and debugging? Does your mailbox look worse for wear? Give it a fresh coat of paint and make it over for just a few dollars. Don’t forget about windows! Get rid of the dust and smudges by having the exterior windows and screens cleaned by a professional for an instant shine. Finally, consider your front porch and driveway. Make sure it is well dusted and looking spic and span with few visible stains. These little things can go a long way toward giving your home its proper curb appeal.
Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize.
Just like the room of a house, your exterior benefits from a few decorations. For instance, adding some attractive house numbers can make finding the house easy from the street and can also look very inviting. Secondly, what could be more welcoming than a colorful or decorative doormat? In addition, think doorknobs and other hardware. Purchasing stainless steel or rustic, black iron doorknobs will make a good impact as potential home buyers open the door. Finally, don’t forget about your porch. If there is room on your porch, consider adding a sitting area with a bench, swing, or a table and chairs with some colorful throw pillows. This will make your porch area seem more inviting.
As you can see, there’s no reason to neglect the exterior of your home as you ready it for market. Just give it a little curb appeal! With a few simple and inexpensive changes, your home can be the best listing in the neighborhood and give the best first impression of all the homes in your area.
Ready to sell faster and for top dollar?
Color Joy Interiors offers a 90-minute, virtual or in-person home staging assessment, with personalized tips on staging your home to sell quickly and profitably. Contact me to see if this is a right fit for your home or project. Real Estate Agents: I’d love to help your sellers present their homes in the best possible light.