Is Your Lack of Curb Appeal Scaring Buyers Away?

If you read my last three blogs then your home should be in great condition on the inside. Now let’s get the outside as stunning as the inside! Let’s face it, a buyer has to be willing to walk into your home to decide to buy it.  Do not let lack of curb appeal or a neglected look keep buyers from even considering it.

When your house is listed to sell you will get a notice when someone is coming to see it and this gives you the chance to make the house presentable.  You don’t get this notice or opportunity when it comes to the first impression your house will give, it’s curb appeal. People are driving by your house every day. These might be people who don’t affect you at all, but they could just as likely be buyers or someone who knows a buyer.  You take a chance at making a bad impression every single day if your house’s curb appeal isn’t show ready!  Think about that, you risk losing a buyer every single day even if no one is actually scheduled to come view your house that day! I have never had a client refuse to go into a house when it looks kept up on the outside, but I have had many clients do just that when the front yard is unkempt or when the front of the home is in disrepair. Do not start telling yourself that you refuse to put anything else into a home you are selling anyway or that you just don’t have the money.  These are ridiculous arguments.  A seller can’t afford not to put in the work because a buyer deducts value for everything they feel they will have to do when they move in.  As I’ve said in each of my last three blogs if you want top dollar for your home you will present it at its very best. 

Step outside for a minute and take a look at your home from the curb. 

Ask yourself a few questions like:

1. What does my house look like compared to the neighbors?
2. Where does my eye go first?
3. What do I hate the most from this point of view?
4. Would anything I see keep me from buying this house?

If you don’t feel like you can be unbiased then ask a friend who you can trust to be straight up with you. Remember, this is only about what can be seen from the curb, don’t overthink it. Right now your goal is to get people in the front door. When people ask themselves the above questions, often things that have bugged them for a long time arise. Things like “the Joneses flowers have always grown better than mine” or “John’s trim paint has never peeled as much as ours!” Most of the time the truth is often more like the Joneses dug out all the junk soil the builder filled the property with and replaced it with good soil and John walks around his property every few months and touches up the trim paint so the wood doesn’t rot. Well, you didn’t do these things, so now you might have to spend more and/or do more to get your house ready to sell. To be honest, even if you did do these things, you would still have to do some of them again to get your house ready to sell. I think I have made it pretty clear with my last blogs that there will be work and costs involved when selling your home, but those costs don’t have to be unreasonable.

Put money where it is necessary to help your home sell in a reasonable amount of time, and in the end, this money will come back to you in the sale price.  At the same time, make sure not to waste money on needless changes. 

When it comes to curb appeal people often think of window boxes and flowers, but the truth is even though those types of things should be on your list,  they should be the last items on it.  Question #4 above will likely bring up the items that a building inspector will point out and those are your deal killers.  These are what you want to focus on. Most people aren’t going to lose their dream home for a $500 negotiable item.  If a buyer is going to walk away it’s going to be over something they would lose sleep over, something like a roof leak or a foundation problem, so these are where your money goes first.  If you have the money for a pre-listing home inspection, it can save you money and the time you spend trying to figure out what needs to be fixed.  If you don’t have the money, your real estate agent is also a priceless reference in this process. 

A lot of things come together to give a home its curb appeal.  The elevation of the home, paint, driveway, lawn, neighbors’ homes, and more.  The two most basic things most people notice when they look at the front of any home are debris/clutter and yard maintenance. It’s usually very easy to see when a home has “collected” items in the driveway or yard or when the lawn needs to be mowed.  These are two things that should cost you nothing but a little hard work and some time.  If you are listing your home, at the very least, get any unnecessary items out of the front yard and driveway, including the car you swore to rebuild ten years ago.  Mow the lawn, trim the bushes and trees, rake up the leaves, and pick the weeds and do this every few weeks until your home is sold.  You want your yard to look as if it’s easy to keep up.  For those of you who are not physically able to do yard work, and do not have friends or neighbors you can ask for help, try contacting a local community outreach group or highschool (often volunteer hours are required).

Now that the clutter is out of the way and keeping “deal killers” in mind, as you scan your house from the curb do you see things like missing roof shingles, puddling water, peeling, or flaking paint, or foundation cracks? These are red flags to building inspectors and buyers and they are going to want answers and they deserve them. You might think you are helping yourself out if you have no knowledge of their cause, but when it comes down to it a buyer is almost always going to have an inspection. When an inspector flags something in a report it makes it even more important to a lot of buyers, not to mention it brings it to the attention of the lender. Foundation or roof issues are usually things you cannot DIY and are likely going to cost you either up front or in a lower sales price. The paint, however, you might be able to take care of on your own before an inspection. Paint would be flagged if the inspector is concerned about moisture damage so if you sand, prime, and touch up paint before there is any moisture damage you can save yourself some money. Puddling water can be a sign of the property settling which is normal, but how or where the water puddles can signal underlying problems not to mention constant puddling in the same location causes further damage. Make sure to keep an eye on drainage, water should flow away from the foundation of the home. If areas settle too low over time, you can often easily add soil to raise them, but make sure not to block any pipes, vents, etc. Don’t allow the problem to compound over time this just adds to the damage and to the cost of fixing. If you have gutters, make sure they are all attached properly, and please clean them out, overfull or clogged gutters can cause water to back up and possibly get behind siding and fascia. Cracks in walkways that are not level or broken pavement should be repaired, these are safety concerns.  The garage door should also be in working order and hung level.

Now that you have addressed the red flag issues and there is nothing at first glance that sends buyers back to their cars, you can have a little fun and add the charm that will have them fighting to be the first in the door.  If you have any money left over after all of this, you will find a list of items below that won’t necessarily be flagged by an inspector but will make a buyer happy when they get to call your house home. 

Let me recap the items that should be addressed before listing your home:

1. Get rid of all clutter in the driveway, front yard, and around the sides of the home.  This includes broken down cars, toys, and yard equipment.
2. Mow the lawn, trim the bushes and trees, pick the weeds, and rake the leaves. Continue to do this as needed until the home is sold.
3. Take care of ‘red flag’ issues especially safety concerns that an inspector will report. Replace missing shingles and repair any roof leaks. Repair anything affecting foundation stability, and any water penetration.
4. Touch up or completely repaint anywhere there is peeling or flaking paint where the wood is holding moisture.
5. Make sure all gutters are attached properly and diverting water away from the house.
6. Make sure the garage door is hung properly, evenly, and closes all the way.

And finally here is the ‘Make Your House Feel Like Home to Buyers” list. 

These are the items that aren’t necessary but will help push your home to the number one spot for a buyer:

• Power wash the front of the house including the driveway.
• Repaint or touch-up the trim.
• Repaint the front door in a color that not only pops but also compliments the house color. (Try some colors on at Benjamin Moore's Personal Color Viewer)
• Polish up the door hardware and house numbers.
• Make sure outdoor lights work and don’t forget to wash the windows.
• Plant some flowers or bright green leafy plants or add potted or hanging plants to the porch

There are obviously lots of other things you can do to add charm and help your home show its best, but the object of this blog is getting your home sold for top dollar while only spending what you have to.  I know right now with the market being so hot in the Charleston area it seems like you don’t have to do anything to a home and it gets snatched up regardless the minute it hits the MLS.  But, there will come a day when Covid19 and elections aren’t the predominant things on everyone's minds and our housing market will return to normal.  When that happens buyers will have the luxury of choosing the home that speaks to them the most, hopefully, you will know exactly what to do to get your home talking!

Although a lot of other things right now may be leading us to the scariest Halloween ever, it turns out it is a great time to sell your home.  If you’d like to speak with someone about how to get your home show-ready so you can get top dollar, give me a call or comment below.