The outside of your home makes the first impression on potential buyers. Before they even enter your house, they already have a good, iffy, or bad feeling based on what they see as they walk toward the front door. If you are selling in spring, you have the best opportunity to wow buyers with a warm, welcoming landscape and home exterior.
Here are 10 easy do-it-yourself tips that will excite buyers from the curb!
1. Clean you windows and let the light in. Dirty windows are making your house look drab. Clean and shine all windows until they sparkle. And open up blinds and curtains so that your home looks welcoming, not closed up, from the outside. It will also help your home look brighter and cheerier when buyers come inside.
2. Spruce up your door. Look at the front door from a buyer’s perspective. Is it in obvious need of replacement? Or would some refinishing or new paint easily make it look like new? The front door is one of the main features that pop when looking at the house from the front yard, so make sure your door makes a statement! Add a simple seasonal accent wreath or decoration for an added touch.
3. Clean walkways and decks. Concrete walkways, patios, and front decks may need a good power-washing to remove grime and dirt. Power-washers are relatively inexpensive to rent if you don’t have one. The difference a good cleaning makes will make you wish you did this years ago for your own family’s enjoyment.
4. Add color with flowers and planters. Take advantage of the season. Put some fresh color on the front of your home with plenty of blooming flowers in planters, green leaf plants, and fresh mulch in flower beds and around trees. The mulch makes flower color pop. You don’t have to spend a fortune on landscaping. Addressing the basics of flowers and foliage around your front stoop or accent areas in your front yard will increase excitement from the curb.
5. Trim trees and bushes gone wild. Take a look at trees and bushes around your yard. Any overgrowth will give a wild, unkempt look to your home. Trim them up and clear out any dead ones that you’ve ignored in the past.
6. Light up pathways. Add some solar lighting to your walkway or other areas of your yard that you want to accent with warmth. Local hardware stores offer a variety of stylish options.
7. Accent the front porch or garden with furniture. Whether you buy a new chair or refurbish an old flea market bench, outdoor furniture helps create an approachable, welcoming message to buyers. Make sure the pieces you choose are in good condition. If you already have a chair or bench outdoors, adding some brightly colored accent pillows helps improve the look.
8. Get a new doormat. Oftentimes people overlook their own doormat, not realizing the wear and tear it has undergone through the seasons. Freshen up the entrance to your home with something new.
9. Make over your mailbox. If you have a curbside mailbox, check out these brilliant mailbox makeovers online http://www.remodelaholic.com/diy-mailbox-ideas/ . Whether you choose a new box and post or just spruce up the old ones, adding some décor to the mailbox creates an accent piece to your yard all on its own.
10. Upgrade outdoor hardware. If you have contractor’s brass knobs or door knocker, give them an upgrade. If you don’t want to buy new ones, remove them and spray paint in a dark color that complements your door. Check out your house numbers, too. Are they too small and hidden? Chipped? Or worse, missing a number? Replace them with something contemporary and visible. Or spray paint with a color that pops against the background to which they’re attached.