If a home has an attractive exterior, it means that it is attractive to the eye and inspires confidence. A great curb helps you sell a home faster and for more money because of the positive effect it has on buyers. Unfortunately, many homeowners overlook the curb appeal of their home when they put it on the market. Exterior appeal refers to the exterior design and features of your home.
Think of it as the first impression of your home, since the exterior gives potential buyers (or even just people who are walking around your neighborhood) a preview of the quality of the home they could find inside. Exterior appeal helps maintain the perceived value of your home. A first impression is everything and curb appeal is the first impression of your home or neighborhood, according to Donovan Reynolds, a real estate agent from Georgia. Exterior appeal describes how a potential buyer feels about a home when they approach it, depending on how it looks from the outside.
We spoke with the award-winning agent from Columbus, Ohio, Amy Clark about what makes curb appeal so essential, the little things that some homeowners overlook when preparing their properties for the market, and how you can make a big impression on a tight budget. Your curb appeal must be intentional: adding random plants, decorations, or accessories to your home without worrying about the overall look will only make your home look cluttered or out of place. Often, a real estate company has an agent they work with who can give you advice on how to increase your attractiveness to add value to your home. Therefore, adding exterior appeal is any effort or project that makes a house more attractive from the street to potential buyers, visitors or the curious.
It can be difficult to determine where you should prioritize your spending, but these attractive statistics show that it's very valuable to spend at least part of your annual budget outside your home. For example, you can easily see how concrete entrances increase curb appeal, with their practical use and clean, tidy style. There's good news for the homeowner with a limited budget, and that is that it's absolutely possible to make major improvements to the curb appeal without wasting an arm and a leg. Even when nothing grows, your garden and home can remain clean, attractive and accessible to buyers.
Suzette Peoples, owner and agent of Peoples Properties, said that curb appeal is important for buyers to form a positive opinion about the property. Brett Riggins, founder of Connect Home Buyers in Kalamazoo, Michigan, agrees and says, “The appeal of the backyard is what excites shoppers today. Talk to any real estate agent (or avid HGTV viewer) and they'll tell you that increasing your attractiveness is important when selling your home. Even the curb appeal of your neighbors can affect the attractiveness of your own home, so it's important that your house and the houses that surround it look good.
If you want to take things to the next level without breaking your budget, these DIY projects with a limited budget are perfect for making a much bigger impact.
