How to improve curb appeal- thanks Dawn Thomas

How To Improve Your Curb Appeal for Potential Buyers

by The Dawn Thomas Team on September 27, 2012

Realtor Magazine (a publication of the National Association of Realtors®) published an article by author Melissa Tracey, in their recent issue, about the importance of curb appeal to buyers. The Dawn Thomas Team likes to give our Sellers good advice but not only do we want it to be sound; we also want there to be a return on our clients investment and it has to be a quick return as they’re selling it! With the way the Silicon Valley market is right now Sellers need to be aware that there are still things that they need to do get those multiple over-asking-offers from buyers and their homes first impression is critical. Contact the Dawn Thomas Team today if you’d like to list your home and we can help you with the following curb appeal advice!
“If everything within the front space is well-chosen and in perfect repair—from the mailbox and house numbers to the walkway and landscaping—buyers will think, ‘This house is obviously well-cared for,’ ” says Lisa Grant Vail, a real estate professional and coauthor of Creating Curb Appeal “This message is imprinted on their brains, even if the rest of the house is actually not as well cared for. It’s very hard to change a first impression.”

Front door

“A front door can be a home’s focal point—but you don’t want that to be because of its peeling paint or dinged hardware. Replacing an entryway door with a new steel door (which costs about $1,200) actually offers among the biggest bang for the buck at resale (an average of 73 percent of the cost may be recouped, according to Remodeling magazine’s 2011–2012 Cost vs. Value Report, which analyzed 35 remodeling projects’ payback potential).”

Windows

“Wash them—inside and out—and remove the screens for added sparkle. Then, try dressing up the windows with flower boxes, suggests Peggy Johnson, owner of Redesign + More, a Charlotte, N.C., interior design and staging firm. Also, consider a new color for shutters. The trend is a shift away from high-contrast green, red, or black to more monochromatic palettes that blend with the rest of the house, according to the Paint Quality Institute.”

Garage

“Depending on its orientation to the house, a garage can make a huge impact. Does the door need paint or repairs? Should it be replaced? A new steel garage door can cost about $1,500, but sellers, in average, recoup nearly 72 percent of that investment at resale, according to the Cost vs. Value Report.”

Front porch

“Don’t overlook this key selling point. Vail says, “‘Sell’ your front porch as additional square footage by staging it with as much care as you would other rooms. Invite buyers to ‘sit a spell’ with a pair of rocking chairs, Adirondacks, a porch swing, or even an outdoor living suite.’ ”

Driveway

“If sellers can’t afford a complete resurfacing (which may cost about $2,000 for concrete driveways), encourage them to look into patching up cracks using premixed concrete materials, Johnson says. Driveway cracks a quarter-inch or smaller may be able to be filled with asphalt or concrete that comes in caulk-like tubes.”

After dark

“Have outdoor lights on a timer so they’re always on for nighttime showings. Interior lights, too, work to create a warm glow from the curb. If the home isn’t wired outdoors, line a pathway to the door with solar lights. ‘The technology has improved considerably over the past few years, and solar lights are much cheaper to install than hardwired lights,’ Vail says.”

This blog is courtesy of The Dawn Thomas Team who is an award-winning Real Estate Agent team at Intero Real Estate Services in Los Altos 650-701-7822. We help nice people with selling and buying homes from Palo Alto to West San Jose!