Selling your house can be tough. But you can have a successful showing by starting with a potential buyer’s first impression— your home’s curb appeal.
A positive first impression starts when potential home buyers pull up to your property. Spend a weekend boosting curb appeal and you’ll nail the positive impression before a potential buyer even walks into the house.
Work through these curb appeal ideas for staging and selling your house.
Curb Appeal Ideas to Catch a Buyer’s Eye
1. Ensure House Numbers are Visible
If a potential buyer can’t see your house number from the street, they won’t easily find the home. This can cause frustration—not what you want someone to feel when they’re arriving for a viewing. Whether on the house, mailbox, or curb, as long as your house numbers are visible from the street, you’re good.
2. Stage the Front Doorway
Replace a worn doormat with something that looks cheery. Make sure your doorbell works, and that your door hinges and lock are fully functional. Try WD-40 to handle any squeaks and stuck locks.
3. Mow the Yard
During the time your house is on the market, you should keep the lawn neatly clipped. Mow the lawn weekly or every other week, depending on how quickly the grass grows. Or hire a landscaping service to take care of things for you.
4. Remove and Replace Dead Plants and Grass
While you are cleaning up the yard, check the condition of plants, trees, shrubs, and flowers. Your landscaping will vary depending on the season—not much will be growing in winter, in many areas—but garden beds should always look neat and happy.
If your grass looks patchy, sow fresh grass seed to give things a makeover. When homebuyers see lush green grass, they will feel good about the home.
Another alternative idea is to install artificial turf, which will make the garden look green all year round.
If you have overgrown shrubs or hedges, clip them back to create a neat shape. The same goes for shrubs that have dead or dying branches. If you lost a few plants during winter, remove them.
No one wants to see dead plants in the yard. It plants the seed that you don’t care how your house looks, and a potential buyer will start to wonder what else you’ve neglected.
5. Remove Weeds and Lawn Ornaments
Weeds are unsightly and imply lawn care has been neglected. Pull weeds to show off your home at its best.
While you may love your lawn ornaments, some home buyers may find them unnecessary. Remove lawn statues and whirligigs.
If you have exterior lighting, including solar path lights, you can keep these items in place as they may be helpful for an evening showing.
6. Keep the Driveway Free of Oil Spills and Vehicles
Oil spills can make a driveway look unkempt. Clean the driveway so it looks neat. Remember to park down the street during showings so potential buyers can see the full garage.
If the oil stain is fresh, it can be absorbed with kitty litter or cornstarch. If the stain is old, you may need to scrub it with a paste of baking soda and water.
7. Check the Mailbox for Stability and Cleanliness
Your mailbox is another area that can be easily overlooked, but it could contribute to a negative first impression. Fortunately, there’s not much you need to do to remedy the situation.
As long as your mailbox is securely installed, clean, and free of rust, marks, or other debris, you’re in good shape. A fresh coat of paint or a couple extra screws should be all you need to fix things.
The exterior of your home is the first thing a buyer will see so it’s critical that the impression is positive. It needs to make the buyer feel like they need to go in and see the rest of the house, by investing a few days in these curb appeal ideas, you could drastically reduce the number of days your house remains on the market.
If playing groundskeeper isn’t your idea of a good investment of time or money no problem. HomeGo is a cash-only buyer that wants to provide homeowners with an easier way to sell.
We can buy your home as-is, no curb appeal needed. Just schedule a 10-minute walk-through with a HomeGo agent and we’ll make you a cash offer on the spot.
There’s no obligation. So put down the hedge clippers and sell your house the easy way, in less than 7 days, with HomeGo.
