When selling a home, it’s easy to focus on details like setting the price, listing timelines, and finding the right real estate agent, especially if you're getting your house ready to sell quickly due to a military move.
But one detail that often gets overlooked when thinking about how to sell your house is curb appeal—and it can significantly affect how quickly a home sells and the offers it receives. Skipping exterior improvements to save money may ultimately lead to a slower sale and additional stress later. If you’re preparing to sell your home, whether as a FSBO or with an agent, these curb appeal upgrades and can help make a strong first impression on buyers.
Prioritize Big-Ticket Items
Examine your home improvement budget and decide which large projects are worth your time and money. If you're working with a real estate agent, discuss this with them. After deciding on the big-ticket items to invest in, your leftover budget will dictate the smaller yet impactful projects to take on.
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Year after year, real estate professionals repeatedly rank exterior curb appeal projects by their expected resale value. Here are their top picks for your best ROI.
- New roof
- New garage door
- New fiber-cement siding
- New vinyl siding
- New vinyl windows
- New wood windows
- New steel front door
- New fiberglass front door
At first glance, these are wise investments overall. But in your local market, some could take a big bite out of your profit. Decide which projects make the most financial sense for you.
Make Yard Clean-Up and Maintenance a Priority
A pot of pretty flowers and a new doormat won’t disguise sagging gutters and dirty siding. Home upkeep is a significant undertaking, especially if it's only done right before a home showing, so you’ll want to plan for plenty of time to take care of the basics before attempting to dress up the curb appeal.
Start by refreshing flower beds with fresh mulch and thorough weeding to instantly create a cleaner, more maintained appearance. Adding new flowering plants and greenery can also make a major difference, especially when choosing drought-resistant varieties if regular watering may be difficult.
Next, focus on the home’s exterior surfaces. Power washing siding, driveways, and sidewalks removes built-up dirt and grime that can make a property look older than it is. Cracked blacktop and damaged driveways should also be repaired, while brick walkways and porches may benefit from re-pointing to restore their appearance and stability.
Small repairs matter, too. Fix cracked window panes and clean or repaint shutters to improve the overall look of the home’s exterior. Even a relatively simple shutter upgrade can dramatically modernize a home’s façade. For example, replacing faded black plastic shutters with wooden farmhouse-style shutters can help create a more updated, modern farmhouse look that appeals to many buyers.
Create a Marketing Plan with a Purpose
Part of your marketing plan should include a vision of who your prime buyer audience is and how you’ll tailor your home to their tastes, including the exterior. However, buyers appreciate curb appeal differently. For some buyers, functionality is the main selling point, but family-friendly features take precedence for others.
Curb appeal ideas to sell a house don’t only apply to the front yard. Although backyards aren’t the first thing buyers see, attractive backyards are extremely valuable for buyers who consider the outdoors an extension of everyday living space.
These are some considerations that attract different sets of home buyers.
Home Buyers Who Work Long Hours
They’re likely looking for minimal maintenance and a “set it and forget it” type arrangement. Cater to this crowd with exterior paint formulations that repel mildew and mold, and choose siding colors that camouflage grime and dirt.
Next, minimize the number of accessories that need cleaning, but don’t go too sparse. Although they work long hours, these buyers want a comfortable atmosphere when they come home. Because the house is often empty, consider installing a lockbox mailbox to deter porch pirates. These curb appeal qualities also attract single buyers, frequent travelers, and empty nesters.
Families with Children
Does your home for sale have curb appeal features that attract parents whose top priority is raising their children in a safe, welcoming environment? Parents look for clean, well-tended yards and secure fences to contain children and pets. These home buyers are also looking for landscaping that isn’t overgrown. Trimming trees and shrubs reduces the risk of crime.
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Emphasize the Outdoor Living Space
When it comes to staging your house to sell, there’s a reason marketing photographs include multiple pictures of a backyard oasis. Home buyers aren’t looking at a backyard simply as a functional space to be maintained. Instead, a deftly staged patio or deck entices buyers to see themselves enjoying lush lawns and cool shade from colorful patio umbrellas.
Add curb appeal to take advantage of your yard because the idea of extending living space outside continues to trend and isn’t losing steam. Keep in mind that a general overhaul to clean up the space is impactful. But these tips take your living space to the next level.
- Re-stain the deck wood and repair any loose or warped planks.
- Use a variety of outdoor rugs to designate multiple seating and dining areas.
- Like the front porch, potted plants add interest and, if needed, privacy.
- Pile on weather-resistant cushions and pillows for more comfort and coziness.
Update the Entryway
An entryway encompasses a variety of elements, depending on the home's style. For example, some properties include a long, grand walkway that leads to a spacious wraparound porch, while others simply have a brick or concrete pad that ushers friends and family directly inside.
Take advantage of the space available and make it shine! The entryway is the dominant visible feature, both curbside and in online photographs. Here are some ideas to make your entry stand out.
Start with a clean slate. Sweep, power wash, and scrub as many surfaces as possible. This includes cobwebbed corners, dirty light fixtures, glass doors, and porch floors.
Repaint the front door. A paint refresh emphasizes personality with a bold but unusual front door color, such as navy blue. Touch-up coats spruce up the existing color by hiding chips and dents.
Choose new hardware. Pick a cohesive look with one or more finishes for door hinges and knockers, mailboxes, lighting, and address numbers. A little style goes a long way.
Accessorize. First impressions are vital to home-selling marketing plans, and the front porch sends an invitation to appreciate what;s inside. Nowhere else in the house does a small budget boost the potential to sell relative to the space like the front entry.
Pot blooming plants. Planters and stands add visual interest through color, height, and texture. Planting a scent to remember is a tried-and-true trick to keep your home in the running for a second look. Honeysuckle and lavender are two well-tolerated scents among the public.
Add outdoor linens. Choose fabrics such as rugs and doormats designed to withstand the elements and add visual interest to punch up the charm factor. If the square footage allows, purchase porch furniture and pillows. Who can resist a quick sway or two on a front porch swing?
Now that you know where to start, choose the curb appeal options that work best with your overall marketing plan for selling your home! If you need more inspiration, follow us on Pinterest, where we share curb appeal improvement plans and tips for staging your house to sell.
Find more home-selling tips and the best upgrades before selling a home in our free guide below.
