Curb Appeal Basics Checklist

Improving a property's curb appeal often involves looking at aspects of the home in entirely new ways. This checklist helps home sellers know which areas they will need to prepare to earn the best buyer impressions.

1. Pay Attention to the Porch

Although curb appeal can technically affect a home sale from hundreds of yards at a distance, the things that buyers can see up close could really change the way they conceive of a property. The porch might be a visitor's first opportunity to pause and really examine the condition of a home as they wait to be granted entry. The door should be in excellent working order and have a fresh coat of paint. Home sellers who cannot afford a complete overhaul of the home's exterior should focus their efforts on the cleanliness and beauty of the porch in particular, to ensure that it will entice buyers to step inside.

2. Turn up the Lights

When preparing a home for sale, many people put so much thought into the interior lighting that they forget how dark and poorly-lit their outdoor properties could be at night. This might not be a huge problem in the middle of summer. However, anyone who wants to engage interested buyers near twilight or during nighttime hours should put landscape lighting around their walkways, and to attract attention to interesting parts of the home. Buyers are unlikely to consider a home that is difficult to see, and lighting may be a simple way to eliminate those concerns.

3. Polish the Exterior

It is worth keeping in mind that many buyers make a decision about a home just by looking at the exterior in a picture online. This means that home sellers really only have one shot to make the home's visible structure look its very best. For some people, this might mean that they need to replace some or all of the siding so that the home appears current and well-maintained. Putting in new windows could be an ideal way to change up the home's style, and improve its efficiency as well. If the home already had a recent update, home sellers may only need to repaint or touch up the siding and give all the surfaces a thorough cleaning.

4. Clean Up the Landscaping

Some experts believe that investing a lot of time, money, and energy into a home's landscaping within a year of selling could dramatically increase the sale price. Of course, this depends largely on the size of the property, the condition of its current landscaping, and what the landscaping looks like for comparable homes in the neighborhood. As a general rule, homeowners should plan to:

• Clear away any dead or dying foliage
• Trim or prune trees and bushes
• Plant colorful flowers and bushes that are seasonally appropriate

Even a good cleaning and a few simple touches could significantly change the look of the yard.

5. Make the Curb Gleam

The reason real estate experts call the work on the exterior property “curb appeal” is because home buyers will think a lot of the home from what they see at the curb. This means that the curb itself must be in stellar condition, as well as the driveway. Repairing or repainting the mailbox and fixing or replacing cracks in the driveway and sidewalks can do a lot to ensure that a buyer parks and plans to look inside the home.

Curb appeal is just the first step home sellers make to secure a purchase offer on a Jordanelle home. With attention to these five curb appeal basics, people can fine-tune their investment before they sell.