Curb Appeal: Top Five Things for Spring

Better Homes and Gardens recently put out a list of 20 things you can do to improve upon the curb appeal of your home:
http://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/exteriors/curb-appeal/ways-to-add-curb-appeal/

Some of the tips were interesting, but not everyone has a natural eye for architectural symmetry, a budget for major renovations, or a green thumb. An awful lot of the tips in this particular article revolved around adding foliage...lots and lots of foliage, definitely a shout out to the "gardens" part of their name. It got me to thinking about the type of things I often recommend to my sellers, and how they compare to the BHG list. The enhancements I recommend are relatively inexpensive, short-term in scope/time spent, and something that can most often be done yourself versus outsourcing.

Here are my personal top five "curb appeal" improvements for our local area:

1. Harness the Power of Water - Rent or buy a powerwasher and go to work on your siding, your deck, your driveway/walkways or any other areas that need attention. The look of a well-maintained (read: clean) home instantly conveys that the home was well-loved and taken care of by the owners for the duration. Conversely, a home marred by patches of funky algae or other unsightly residue plants the seed of doubt from the first look. Never used a power washer before? Take care! If your PSI (pressure) is set too high, you can cause damage, including removing layers of paint, splintering wood, and breaking glass. You might want to leave it to the professionals... not the honey-do list.  



A clean, neat exterior helps sell a home.  

2. Get a Grip... On Some Weeds - While the BHG article centered around adding foliage (including climbing vines, which, IMO, can be more nuisance than enhancement--they can really damage your home exterior over time) I often prefer that my sellers harness the power of what they already have in place versus spending more money in a selling situation. Now that Spring-like weather has sprung (ready for it or not!) we see every day what the phrase "growing like a weed" really means, and starting your lawn maintenance early will go a long way to controlling the jungle and nuisance insects. Give attention to your flower beds/planting beds by adding dark mulch right before you list (before the pictures are taken), and commit to pulling weeds at least once every two weeks as needed. Trimming the bushes (but not overdoing it) and edging the borders every so often will also give a freshly maintained look. If your landscaping is lacking, you can certainly add some additional plantings, but focus more on quality (and scale of the plants to fit the space) rather than sheer quantity. Since most showings happen on the weekends, I recommend having your weekly lawn work (be it DIY or outsourced) take pace on a thursday or at latest, on a friday morning. 
3. Mail it in - Is your mailbox standing straight and wobble-free? Does the door stay closed when you shut it? Is your mailbox post and cap fresh and new-looking, not yellowed with age or dingy with weathering? Does it have a clear, fresh looking house number on it? If any of these answers were NO, you just might be in need of a mailbox intervention. For single family homes, mailboxes are most often at the base of your driveway, and the first thing people just might see when they pull into your drive. It is a good idea to have the look of your mailbox match your home. Clear, aesthetically pleasing house numbers that are in the same finish of the numbers found your home exterior/front door are winners, and a post painted/selected to match the color of your house trim is a nice tie in. If you have stone or brick borders on your flower beds, consider trimming out a smaller, matching version at the base of your mailbox. However, if you live in a neighborhood, be sure to check for any HOA restrictions prior to planning a mailbox project. Many local HOAs do include type and color of mailbox in their rules. 
4. Welcome Home to a Great Front Door - In most cases, you don't have to replace the door, just give it some love! Installing a kickplate (if it compliments/matches the home style), adding a traditional knocker, replacing old hardware and giving your door a fresh coat of paint will do wonders. Adding or updating your house numbers and lighting fixtures (consider fixtures with photocells to capture energy-savings) will also go a long way, and you will see a bright return on that particular investment. Note: Be sure the finish type of all of these improvements matches--you do not want black house numbers, brushed nickel hardware, and a brass kick plate. And if the door sticks or is hard to open, fix it. While you are thinking hardware, consider freshening up your kitchen cabinet pulls (don't forget the bathroom cabinets) and outlet cover plates. This can be a pretty inexpensive boost to the interior appeal of your home at a low cost. 
5. DIY Paint, Inside and Out - When you are taking care of the front door, check for any peeling paint, or areas of door/window trim that need to be refreshed. Consider caulking around window and siding/brick seams if you find areas that need attention. Inside of your home, odds are good that many of the rooms just might need a little freshening on the walls and trim. Conventional wisdom was that you paint everything whatever you wanted... as long as it was in a subtle neutral off white. However, these days you can experiment with those same neutrals by selecting those with toned hues to accent the mood of the room or the decor you will be using for the listing period. Just be sure to avoid anything too bright/deep, or anything that would be difficult for a buyer to cover with their own choices after the sale. The end goal of any painting project you take on to prepare for a sale is to convey a well-maintained, fresh, and clean space.

When making choices about home improvements -- even if you are not selling for many months or even years -- you should feel comfortable asking for your Realtor's advice. They should be seeing hundreds of "market ready" (and perhaps not so ready...) homes a year, and hear feedback from their own buyers every day. As such, they should be able to give you some pretty sage advice on what freshening choices make the most sense to enhance curb appeal and get the deal done in your area.

And if you don't have a Realtor to call upon, or are shopping for one, I know one that would be happy to take a look at your home. ;) www.frederickareahomes.com