Making your home more appealing is often thought to be a rather costly task, but there are quite a few things a homeowner can do to make their home feel just a little bit more like home, or stage it well for when potential buyers visit or drive through the neighborhood, if they're selling.
Trimming the bushes can be a tedious task, but it's one thing you can do to add more curb appeal, plus, possibly greater value to your home. You can also do things like buy a new doormat, place a pot of brightly colored flowers on your porch, install new doorknobs on the doors, and more. Here are just a few things I recommend to my seller-clients, as well as those few aforementioned things, when they're trying to sell their home fast and for top-dollar:
(1) Put a fresh coat of paint on your driveway.
(2) Edge the grass around walkways, sidewalks, patios and trees.
(3) Hide your garden tools and other tools from eye-view.
(4) Ask your youngsters to put their toys out of site.
(5) Buy a new mailbox for that added appeal to curb appeal.
(6) Upgrade your outside lighting and turn it on during showings (if you're not there, I'll turn them on, so buyers know just how beautiful your home really is in the best light).
(7) Use warm, incandescent bulbs inside for more of a homey feel.
(8) Polish or replace your house numbers (if you have them).
(9) Clean out your gutters.
(10) Buy new pillows for the sofa.
(11) Buy a flowering plant and place it in a window that is passed by frequently.
(12) Make a centerpiece for your table that includes fruit and/or artificial flowers.
(13) Replace curtains with sheers that let in more light, so potential buyers can see your home in the best light.
Article comments
1 - TDavid
Good tips, John ;) A fresh coat of paint or vinyl siding works wonders as well.
I've never heard of painting the driveway? People actually do this? I could see mixing down a thin coat of fresh concrete and clearing up the cracks maybe, but painting it, really?
2 - John Mudd
Very true.
Well, I had never actually seen or heard of it, either, until moving to Florida, but painting your driveway to match your house isn't uncommon here, but clearing up the cracks is more common.
Homes with driveways typically only come with very well decorated homes where they've thought of everything when it comes to decorating their home, including the driveway, or with more colorful (i.e., bright blue, purple, orange, etc.) homes and they often sell for higher prices thant homes with plain cement or asphalt driveways, but I would say that more than the driveway, alone, causes that to happen.
Cheers.
3 - Robert T DeMarco
Very useful information.
Bob
4 - Nancy
Putting a house on the market can be a daunting and scary step. I think these are some excellent tips to make putting your house up for sale a less stressful task. With the real estate market the way it is these days, every little bit helps. I do agree with David though- I've never heard of painting your driveway! Unless, of course, it's blacktop...
-Nancy L.