11 Curb Appeal Tips - SE Michigan Home Selling Tips

Flowers in the window box makes great curb appeal

We want your home to have curb appeal. What does curb appeal really mean? It is a term that started many years ago before the days of internet. Back when people used to drive by the homes prior to deciding whether to go to see the home. There were not a lot of pictures back then for buyers to look at. Sometimes listings only had one picture of the house. Even back then it was kind of dumb in my opinion to judge a home on outside appearance. Just because the outside is not that nice doesn’t mean the inside is not nice or what you want. So to buyers I say you should not make judgments on the whole house based on a look at the outside. However to you the seller I have to tell you that outside curb appeal still matters. I have had buyers discount homes and not go to see them based on:

color of the brick
name of the street
the front porch size and shape
that the house faced the wrong way
that house next door was junky
the exterior siding, or wood
overgrown bushes

Curb appeal today is not as important factor as it was year past because home buyers do not drive by as much. They can see so much more of the house interior on line. It is still one factor in getting your home sold. When I list homes I my goal is to to help my clients prepare their home to get top dollar. Beautiful updated homes get top dollar naturally. However it also becomes a point in how much time and money do you want to put into a home and how much do you get back? It does not make sense to put $20,000 into a home only to get $5000 of it back. That’s not smart and that is not what I want my sellers to do. Improving your home’s curb appeal helps sell your home two different ways

Good curb appeal of your home gets more buyers to come see your home. Good pictures are important on line whether they are of the outside or inside. So you the home seller should make the over all outside appearance of your home better. It’s about the color contrast, it’s about the over all neatness, and about seeing the house. I would call it the big picture. The trimming of shrubs and trees. The landscaping. The greenness of the yard, the colorful pots of flowers, and contrasting colors of doors, shutters, and trim. The curb appeal in this instance is about the overall look from a distance.
The second part of good curb appeal is up close. Like a nice mailbox, new porch light fixture, or new door knobs. This type of curb appeal gives buyers the good first impression before they walk in to your house. It gives them the impression that you take care of your house. Gives the buyer the warm fuzzy feeling that the house is nice inside too.

My goal is to help get you top dollar for your Metro Detroit home, but I cannot do it alone. I also need your help in doing this. You may have to do a few things to make your Metro Detroit home appeal to more buyers. Sellers that listen to my advice usually get more money for their home and sell it quicker. Pictures and curb appeal is so important in getting buyers to look at your house. In this edition of my home selling tips I am going over “How to make your home stand out” when selling your home.

Add flowers or potted plants for easy curb appeal

When selling a home or even a lake house in Oakland County Michigan making the Most of that First Impression, it is so important. Some home buyers will cross your home right off the list for the silliest of reasons. Would you believe I have had a client that crossed homes off the list if she couldn’t pronounce the name of the street. It is the same way with the appearance of your home on the outside. Real estate professionals call it “curb appeal”. You do not want the buyer to cross your home off the list of homes to see simply because they did not like the first picture of your home. Curb appeal helps you get buyers in the door. Do you want your home crossed off the list because the light fixture was crooked or because there was a dead shrub in the yard? That could have been the buyer that would have bought your home. So what do you need to do to make that first great impression on a potential home buyer?

11 curb appeal tips to get top dollar for your home

1) Paint the front door. A weathered front door will keep it from selling. I had a million dollar home that had a very weathered door. I believe it hindered the sale because the buyers always thought the home owner did not take care of the house. First impressions of whether the home is well maintained or a fixer upper can be detrimental to your sale. If the door does not need painting then at least freshly scrub the front door. Add a shiny new door knocker or door handle and locks. Gorgeous hardware (plus a glossy paint job) can make even the plainest door look very classy. Nothing is worst than a real estate agent fighting to get into your house because your door locks are tricky.

2.) Caulk and paint any trim on the front. While the buyer is walking up to the house they will be noticing the trim around the windows and doors. If the paint is peeling or there is rotting wood then the buyer is going to feel you do not take care of the house.

3.) Do you have a good sized front porch? Add a piece or two of porch furniture. The key is do not make it crowded. Make it appear homey without being cluttered. One item may be enough. A chair with a small table, a pair of matching rockers, Adirondack chair or a cozy glider is a plus when you have a front porch that is visible from the street. For some reason buyers love the idea of sitting on their front porch. Whether they do is another matter.

4.) Fix the major trip hazards. You do not want the buyers to be falling on the way into the house. Cement leveling is relatively cheap or you can add asphalt to slope up to the tilted cement. Or you could just replace the pieces of concrete that have been uneven.

5.) Shrub beds. Weed them, and add a fresh layer of mulch, bark, or stone. Remember you are not going to live here long so do not go hog wild and spend a fortune on new stone. The potential buyers may hate the color of the stone or the stone in general.

Does this make you want to see this house?

6.) Repair the driveway and paths. Again this is a tricky one. Is there major trip hazards or is the driveway crumbling? Then you may have to replace sections of the cement. Try to avoid replacing it all as this is money you may not recoup. If the driveway is just cracked…..Many home buyers do not place a big emphasis on it. If it’s winter, shovel the walkways. The fewer obstacles between prospects and the true appeal of your home – the better.

7) A clutter-free porch welcome prospects. Get rid of everything but the basics. Remember less is more. Make the porch appear spacious and not cluttered. Add a new front mat welcoming people. Now is the time to make a statement like “friends welcome, family call ahead”. Be welcoming to everybody.

8.) Swap out old porch & garage lighting. I have seen lights full of bugs, or lights that are crooked. Try replacing rusty, or tiny sconces with a big, statement-making pendant lights. Remember buy nice, but be frugal.

9.) Add a hot accent. A colorful accent door or piece of furniture may help make your home stand out. Be careful that the color is not too wild. Red is vibrant; a little goes a very long way. Try a bright red bench, planter or mailbox to add pizazz that can be seen in online photos.

10.) A well-manicured lawn is another cheap factor in curb appeal. Green it up! Put some fertilizer on it. Cut the grass every 5 to 7 days. Edge the sidewalks and driveway. Seed the bare spots. You need to start this process 2 or 3 months before you list. All of this will help your house look good for just a few dollars.

11.) Trim up the shrubs and tree so you can see the house. If the bushes and trees are overgrown once again the buyer is going to think the whole house is poorly maintained.

I hope this edition of 11 tips for curb appeal home selling tips by Russ Ravary helps you prepare your home for sale. I know what works. I helped my clients buy and sell 85 homes in 2017. I want yours to sell too. So let’s work together and get your home sold for top dollar! Call me if you are thinking of selling your home at (248) 310-6239.

Brookstone Subdivision in Northville Twp MI is a nice little subdivision that is not too far from M-14 expressway. If you want a beautiful small lake then Lower Long Lake homes in Bloomfield MI may be the place for you. Buying a home can be a anxious experience for some home buyers if you do not know how the home buying process works. I want to make that a little easier for you with these Livonia home buying tips – No need to worry

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Here are four different lakes to check out in Oakland County that you may be interested in.

If you go to these pages you will find out everything I know about these lakes including size, depth, and photos of the lake and homes.

11 Curb Appeal Tips – SE Michigan Home Selling Tips