Improve Your Home’s Curb Appeal

It’s something everyone in the real estate game agrees upon, the best home renovations for resale all have to do with the curbside appeal. When we talk about “curb-side appeal” we’re actually referring to the front-facing part of your home. 

As the expression goes, first impressions matter, and that’s especially true for selling homes. According to a study conducted by Michigan State University, a property with landscaping and effort put into its curb appeal can increase perceived home value by 5% to 11%. 

This means that when you’re thinking, “What should I remodel before selling?” or “What home improvements should I do before selling?” jobs relating to the front of your home pay dividends.

There are a number of curb-side appeal jobs that will increase the value quickly. Such as: 

Repainting the door and house!

A new coat of paint is arguably the biggest and easiest way of transforming a room or area. In regards to the front of your home, repainting the door is a must. 

It’s cheap, easy enough for anyone to complete, and is bound to create an automatic difference to the whole aesthetic of the property. 

While some will opt for a more conventional color choice, others really love the splash of bright color to make it really pop. This is especially true if you’re living in a colonial home. 

Also, bold colors do attract potential buyers’ eyes when they are browsing through the pages of the classifieds. If the budget allows for it, you can replace the entire door with something new. 

While you can splash out on a steel front door, the return on investments has seen a steep decline from 2017, but this being said, according to Remodeling’s 2021 Cost Vs Value Report you can recoup around 65% of your spend, which is good in our books. 

As for repainting the entire front of the home, it’s worth the investment. While this is only a surface job, tasks like installing manufactured stone veneers on the outside walls have a cost recuperation of 92.1%. It’s one of the top two best renovations to do before selling a home. 

So, what other things should you start doing when fixing a house to sell?

Let there be light!

As with photography, lighting is everything. The same is true for the exterior of your home or its curb-side appeal. 

Having small landscaping lights can really transform the front of the home from drab to something special, like a nighttime wonderland. 

There’s also the convenience factor of being able to see where you are walking at night if you are navigating your way from the pavement to the front porch. 

The last factor of having great lights to boost your home’s curbside appeal is security. Having your front garden well-lit means that criminals can’t hide in the shadows. 

We’d strongly suggest also installing motion sensor lights as these act as a deterrent for criminals. 

So, what other things should you fix before selling your house? 

Garden landscaping

A tidy garden is often an indication of how well you, as a homeowner, look after your home. After all, if you have time to maintain a lush garden you must invest time in doing the inside. 

According to REALTORS, a standard lawn care service ranked as the number one project that appealed to buyers, estimating that lawn care would recover 267% of the cost evaluated by landscaping professionals. 

This means, by simply cutting the lawn you could rake in a bit of extra cash for your home. 

There are many landscaping jobs that will automatically help you push the value of your home upwards, these include:

• Purchasing ready-made planters

• Reworking old garden beds

• Pruning trees

• Creating new garden beds

• Building some new curbside garden beds

• Water features

• Garden pavers or stepping stones

• And so much more. 

If you are going to be maintaining these areas, make sure to opt for grass and plants that are easy to look after such as Kentucky Bluegrass and succulents. 

You want to ensure that your garden looks good. This front landscaping should also include upgrading the mailbox. Even better if you can create some landscaping features around the mailbox like a lovely flower bed. 

Also, making sure that your curbside fence is looking sharp is important as it really frames the front area nicely. 

So, now that the landscaping is done, what other jobs can you do to remodel the house for the sale?

Driveway 

The driveway is arguably one of the most important entrances into a home. Also, your garage houses one of the family’s most expensive assets, the cars. 

According to Remodeling’s Cost Vs Value Report, the best return on costly renovations to complete in the U.S. is replacing the garage door, with an estimated 93.8% recuperation rate. 

The driveway also needs to be maintained to keep the appeal high, after all, no one wants to pull their vehicle over a rocky driveway. 

Another benefit of a good driveway is that it is a safe space for children to play in and create memories. Shooting hoops in the driveway is a cliched pastime for a reason. 

What other important repairs should you make before selling a house? 

Revamping the porch!

There’s nothing more iconic than relaxing on the porch after a hard day at work. It’s for this reason that you should ensure your home’s porch is in a good condition for potential buyers. 

If a buyer can imagine themselves relaxing on an amazing porch we can guarantee they will put in an offer. 

Make sure to place nice benches outside, along with some lovely plants, just to liven the place up a bit.

After you’ve completed redecorating the porch, what else should you fix up when selling a house?  

Roof and gutters 

A home with a bad roof and poor drainage is a property that will have difficulty passing an appraiser’s assessment. Unlike the aforementioned repairs on this list, if there is a major issue with your roof and gutters, you will have difficulties selling the home. 

But if your roof just needs some moss removed to spruce up the look of the home, it might be an easy day power washing the roof. 

Or for that matter, if the gutters need to be cleaned or touched up with paint, it’s also an easy enough job for the average Joe to complete. 

This all being said, it is always worth your while hiring a home inspector to take a look at the roof to ensure there aren’t any expensive repairs laying in wait for you. 

While the majority of the jobs are easy to complete some can easily cost a small fortune after completing them. This is especially true with roofing issues. 

Although for those with no time to smell the flowers, all these tasks are just not doable. 

If you are this incredibly busy individual, you’ll want to sell the home “as-is”, and you don't want the hassle of staging a home, even. But that requires a willing cash buyer, like House Buyers of America. 

House Buyers of America will purchase any house for cash, but why select us? 

Why trust House Buyers of America to buy your home? 

Since 2001, we buy houses in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. During this time we’ve innovated the real estate game, as well as impressed thousands of customers. It’s this longevity and success that sets us apart. 

Currently, we have over 100 reviews with 5 stars, with testimonies from a select few! Most of these reviews highlight that House Buyers of America will: 

• Sell houses fast

• Pay cash for homes

• Treat you with the utmost respect 

House Buyers of America has also earned an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), which is an organization that helps United States consumers find businesses they can trust. 

When you’re selling your home, you want to be 100% sure that you can trust the company you’ve contracted to help you. And nothing will put your mind at ease more than reading our clients’ reviews of our services. 

And because our clients have spoken about us with such fondness, we’ve been asked to contribute thought leader comments to America’s most trusted media outlets, like: 

• USA Today

• The Wall Street Journal  

• CBS News

• ABC

• NBC

• And Fox

But how does House Buyers of America work? 

How House Buyers of America works

We’ve ensured that every step is simple, quick, and efficient. That’s why our first step is you approaching us. 

Simply give us a call at 855-659-3289 or use our online form to get started!

Within 10 minutes, if the call is made during office hours, we will have a fair cash offer for your property. 

Once we’ve gathered your information, we will arrange a time for us to come by the house to finalize that important paperwork. 

And once you’ve signed on the dotted line, the money will be in your bank account in a matter of days. 

It’s never been easier to sell your house fast.