Friday, December 29, 2006

Curb Appeal Can Add Thousands to Your Homes Selling Price

If you are selling your home, you can ensure that you receive top dollar by taking several steps to enhance its curb appeal. Curb appeal is “the look” that your home gets when someone drives by: the more impressive the first glance, the more likely they’ll want to step into your home instead of simply driving by. Does your home have curb appeal? Can its curb appeal be enhanced? Read on and we’ll discuss some tips to help you get the most out of your home.

Fill those cracks – Cracks in your driveway can take away from your home. If you have tar covered driveway, then reseal your driveway before you put your home on the market. If you have a concrete driveway, fill in the cracks or even consider replacing the driveway if it is that much of drag on your property.

Remove bushes – If you home is overcrowded by shrubbery, trim wherever you can and consider removing bushes that block your home’s visual appeal or pose a safety hazard.

Trim Trees – Likely you won’t have to remove an entire tree unless it is dead. However, if there are too many branches hanging too close or just over the home, call your tree guy up and get him out there to remedy the problem.

Touch up Painting -- Short of repainting your entire home, perhaps the front door or the garage door plus some trim could use a little paint. Broken caulk around the windows needs to be replaced and wash the windows if they are dirty for heaven’s sake!

Say it with Flowers – Seasonal flowers evoke warmth and nostalgia. Spring pansies, summer gladiolas, and autumn mums are each a delight to behold. If it is winter and the grounds are snow covered, consider trimming a tree with lights to give your home a festive look. No, it doesn’t have to be Christmas but a small tree or a light pole with lights and garland festooned can be pleasing to the eye.

Ask a neighbor for their objective view of your property. If they are the helpful type, they can point out something that you missed, such as a broken mailbox, missing house number, or the like. You want to give your home the best possible look it can get and in doing so you could receive thousands more at closing than you originally thought was possible!