Does Curb Appeal Matter in A Raleigh Seller’s Market?
Does curb appeal matter in a Raleigh seller’s market? The answer is a resounding, “yes”. How a property presents from the street is as important now as it was in the last buyer’s market.
Your home’s curb appeal is the very first chance to impress potential buyers. Whether buyers are wowed by a sightly and well-manicured yard or are repelled by dirty exterior walls and an overgrown landscape can significantly impact your home’s sales price (or over asking figure).
When buyers pull up to a house, they want to be able to picture themselves living in and coming home to it. Dead grass and chipped paint can make that even more challenging to visualize. Making sure your home is prepared — both inside and out — before you put it on the market could make all the difference in your bottom line even during a bidding war. So make sure you’re trimming the lawn, washing the siding and shining everything else up in preparation for showings.
Essential Areas to Concentrate on For Maximum Benefit:
Wash the siding
Your siding probably looks a bit dirty and dusty after this last winter, so it’s time to wash it off and make it look shiny and new for the spring. Use soapy water and a bristled brush to remove dirt and debris. If the grime and dirt won’t come off easily, you may need to use a pressure washer or power washer to remove it. You can rent a pressure washer from a local home improvement store or hire a professional power washer. The cost for exterior power washing ranges from $200 to $400, depending on the time and square footage involved. You should also take this time to wash your garage door, as it will be one of the first things buyers see. It is not recommended to use a power washer to clean your windows and doors though, because it could damage them and lead to repair costs.
Revitalize the paint job
Once you’ve cleaned off the siding, it’s time to look at the paint. There’s a chance your home’s exterior will have chips, cracks and other paint issues following winter. To increase the exterior appeal of your home, consider repainting it. You could use the same paint color as before or choose a whole new color. For a job this big, you may need to hire a painting contractor. Then explore how you can accent the paint job, whether it’s with plants, trim or exterior window treatments.
Fix up the lawn
Given that winter was likely harsh on your landscape, it’s time to get it back in shape for the spring market. You should trim and prune any trees and bushes that took a beating or look overgrown. Add mulch to your flower beds and around trees to give them a professional, well-kept look. Aerate and dethatch your lawn so it can breathe and absorb nutrients more easily. If you have any barren spots in your lawn from snow and ice, add seeds or sod to help renew and cover those areas. If you have the time and budget, think about new spring garden colors in the form of flowers and shrubs.
Add a fence
Another nostalgic, yet high selling point for buyers is a fence around the front of your property. It doesn’t have to be a highly secure fence like those you would add around the backyard. Rather, you could install a picket fence or a short chain link fence around the front yard. This can be especially appealing to families with young children because it helps keep kids safe and enclosed near the home.
Renew the front door
Once people pass through your fence and renewed landscape, they have to open your front door. If your entry door is beaten down, rotting and in bad shape, it sets a bad tone for the rest of the walkthrough. So look at how you can revitalize the door, whether it’s with a thorough cleaning or a paint job. Start by washing it down and then look for chips and cracks in the paint. Depending on the age of the door, it might be time to replace the door. Steel doors are noted as the safest and most effective doors for homeowners, but they are expensive. You might consider an affordable alternative like wood that you can personalize with knobs, windows and colors that complement your home’s interior and exterior design.
Add landscaping lighting
For night walkthroughs, a great addition to your landscape is outdoor lighting. Landscape lights can increase the appeal of your home’s exterior and add security. You can accent trees, shrubs and flower beds at night to attract the buyer’s eye. That way, even though it’s dark outside, they’re still noticing the high points of your landscape. You can use solar fixtures that soak up sunlight during the day and light up at night. Otherwise, you can buy light fixtures that draw on power from the house or use batteries.
Update the mailbox
Mailboxes may seem like a nostalgic idea, but they can add definite appeal to your home, especially if you live in the suburbs. You can get mailboxes at a local home improvement store, and they come in various styles to match your home design. You can also fix up the mailbox you already have, whether it means painting it a new color or adding numbers to the side in the form of stickers or metal decals.
When asking yourself, “Does curb appeal matter in a Raleigh seller’s market?”, we hope it’s a little more clear that even amidst the bidding wars, the impact that your home’s curb appeal has upon the potential buyer is indeed a strong one. We would welcome a conversation about buying or selling in today’s market on our website and on Facebook and Instagram.
