Curb Appeal, Yes it Matters!

Curb Appeal, Yes it Matters!  Yes, the front yard and truthfully your entire exterior counts as curb appeal. And most especially when you are staging your home to sell. What your buyers view when they drive up to your home is your home’s curb appeal. Now is when you want your home to be memorable in the best possible way.  We do not mean memorable as an eyesore.

Consider if your front yard and driveway are littered with miscellaneous items. Is your shrubbery is hiding your home?  Do you really think a buyer will be enticed to want to come inside?

Let me share with you a true story. Many years ago, and as the Realtor showing homes. I drove up to a home that could be described in just such a manner with my buyers. And guess what? The buyers wouldn’t get out of the car to go. They would not go view the home. Those buyers made up their minds in that split-second.  They wanted no parts of going into that home.  This was back before online pictures, the internet, cell phones, appointment scheduling centers, etc.   This was also when it wasn’t uncommon for the sellers to be in the home waiting on the appointed showing. And yes I am totally aware this was a few decades ago. Thus, I have dated myself.

But the point to be made still holds true today. Talk about an awkward situation! Sellers seeing the car and waiting inside for the knock at the door. The buyers refusing to get out. No cell phones to call and cancel the appointment.  Just the poor Realtor, myself,  left to wriggle their way out of this mess as graciously as possible. Not a fun scenario! This was a lost showing for the seller and totally avoidable!

Fast forward to today. I no longer show up as the Realtor but as the Home Stager.  I am often consulting with sellers and advising them on how to prepare their homes.  to show it’s best for the real estate market and that includes curb appeal! The industry of Home Staging is now quite common and most Realtors have found a great partner with their Professional Stagers who will help sellers make their home move in and market ready.

When a buyer sees a home that does not look like it has been maintained, the landscaping is overgrown and there is yard “clutter” strewn about, this puts the notion in the buyer’s head that the inside will be the same if not worse. This may not be the case, but why jeopardize your home’s ability to sell?

Most buyers aspire to move into a home they can be proud of and the majority of buyers cannot see through any kind of un-kept mess to find what real potential for beauty there may be, inside or out. Even though you may not live outside, treat the exterior of your home the same as your interior. Maintain it, paint it, de-clutter it, and make repairs if you need to so you can show your home’s full potential.

Remember you never get a second chance to make a first impression and when selling your home. You may not even get the buyer into your home if you do not consider how important your home’s curb appeal is to your potential buyers. So remember, curb appeal, yes it matters!