There’s a lot that goes into preparing your property for sale. Apart from understanding the sales process, fees for selling a house, and other important factors, you should know how to stage your home to attract potential buyers. Though often overlooked, first impressions are important, especially in the property market. Potential homebuyers will decide whether they are interested in your property or not by looking at the curb appeal.
Unfortunately, most homeowners focus on interior renovations when staging their homes for sale. However, with 71% of potential homebuyers prioritizing curb appeal when making purchase decisions, you should ensure to maintain your property’s exterior in an optimal condition. Below are exterior upgrades that attract prospective buyers and increase property value.
1. Update the Landscaping
First-time and experienced property buyers research extensively before settling on their preferred house. More than 92% of potential buyers search for properties on the internet. With endless options available on the internet, ensuring that your property stands out is overly important. Updated landscaping is among the many renovation projects that make your property stand out.
An updated landscape and lawn care can increase property value by 28% and sell 10 to 15% more quickly. Important landscaping projects to prioritize include:
Weed and fertilize the lawn
Every homeowner certainly dreams of a dense, clean, full lawn. While it takes time to achieve such, a National Association of Landscape Professionals joint study with the National Association of Realtors found that weed control and fertilizer treatment recoups up to 267% of the initial investment.
However, consider green lawn care alternatives before hiring a gardening company to work on your lawn. More people have become aware and prefer avoiding excessive use of chemicals. Potential buyers with kids or pets won’t like a garden full of chemicals. Fortunately, there are endless organic and chemical-free ways of making your lawn thick and full.
Freshen the existing landscape
A poorly maintained landscaping will certainly reduce property value. While adding more chores doesn’t sound fun, the following activities can freshen your landscape:
- Add fresh mulch
- Add perennials
- Trim overgrown shrubs
Design the landscape to maximize efficiency
An inviting and time-saving landscape design also improves property value. Below are design options to beautify your lawn and maximize efficiency:
- Install an automatic sprinkler system – Automatic sprinklers are time and money-saving. They are time-saving as you can schedule their operations. On the other hand, they detect changes in weather patterns and regulate watering, ensuring that they don’t underwater or overwater the lawn. Irrigation systems recoup 86% of the initial investment.
- Plan trees that shade the house – Trees that shade the house are energy saving and increase property value. However, you should let professionals deal with trees. Otherwise, they can run into power lines, damage the foundation, driveways, or walkways, and ruin septic tanks.
- Growing low-water plants – Sufficient landscaping water is a challenge in some areas. Growing native plants with low-water demands can be a selling point.
2. Replace the Front Door
The quality of your front door speaks a lot about the property and the owner. A quality front door is a significant asset for property value and security. Remember, this is the first thing potential homebuyers walk through as they enter your home. After the general curb appeal, their impression rests on the front door.
According to Remodeling Magazine, a new front door has a 65% ROI. Below are ways that front door replacement adds property value:
- Attracts potential buyers – Buyers can judge the rest of your home based on the front door’s appearance. Buyers will perceive that the rest of your house is in bad condition if the front door is cracked or chipped.
- Welcomes visitors – Beyond the overall curb appeal, potential homebuyers envision living in the house before buying. They often think about how the door architecture adds curb appeal to the house and enhances their visitors’ first impression. Most homebuyers prefer an impressive and welcoming front door.
- Adds color – A vibrant color scheme prompts potential homebuyers to make offers. As per color psychology, the brain is sensitive to the surrounding color hues. Real estate agents also report having a hard time selling properties with less desirable colors.
- Improves energy efficiency – High-quality front doors can reduce energy bills by 15%. Fiberglass doors are an excellent choice for energy efficiency because they are made from solid polyurethane foam that protects the indoors from extreme outdoor temperatures.
3. Update Exterior Painting
According to a 2015 study, homeowners who updated their home’s exterior paint enjoyed a 51% ROI. A fresh coat of paint can freshen your tired-looking home exterior. However, you should be cautious with color choices. Below are a few tips to consider when updating the exterior paint:
- Avoid bright colors – Bright colors turn away potential customers and hurt property value. While bright colors look good online, few homeowners choose homes with these colors. If you like bright colors, you can accent the front door and shutters with a bright color.
- Paint the door black – According to Zillow, black front doors increase property value by 2.9%.
- Pay attention to your neighborhood – Consider the neighborhood when choosing an exterior paint color. Some neighborhoods prefer dark colors, others like the coastal hues of gray, blue, and white. Choosing the region’s popular exterior paint colors increases the chances of an appealing result.
4. Pressure Wash the Exterior
Pressure washing can also rejuvenate your home’s exterior. Unfortunately, most homeowners don’t know the dirt lurking in their walkways and driveways until they pressure wash the surfaces. As for the exterior walls and siding, pressure washing lightly brightens and increases its appeal, especially if the paint condition is still excellent.
5. Repair or Add a New Roof
The roof is another critical aspect of your home’s exterior. Roofs should typically last between 15 and 20 years, depending on the material. A sturdy roof not only protects your house from external elements but also makes it attractive to prospective buyers. Even if you don’t intend to sell the house soon, a new roof adds its value by making the home energy efficient. Consult a roofing contractor if you are uncertain if you should replace or repair the existing roof.
Endnote
Several exterior upgrades can increase your property value. To get maximum value from your home, you should make strategic upgrades that won’t cost much yet reap good returns on investment. While you can DIY some projects, such as landscaping, roof repair and replacement require professional services.
