Does your house have curb appeal?"Curb appeal” is the term we use to describe homes that draw in prospective buyers. No matter how attractive the interior of your home is, a drab or outdated exterior can discourage buyers before they even come through the front door. If you plan to resell your home, find out how to create curb appeal by consulting a professional design-build firm.

 

 

First, ask yourself if there are simple things you can do to increase curb appeal. Do you have a lot of clutter in your front yard, for example? Many people like to collect lawn ornaments, but when you’re selling your home, you will want to remove this type of decoration. The idea is to create a space in which people with various types of taste can imagine themselves living. This can mean removing a lot of décor, both inside and out. Ornaments, worn lattice arbours, window boxes, artificial flowers and any other "fussy” elements should be banished.

 

How up-to-date is the exterior of your home? It may be that your house is very old, in which case it’s best to preserve the original look and to ensure that it is in good repair, freshly painted or properly cleaned. If your home is built in a style that is considered classic, you may only need a coat of paint to make it seem new again. However, most homes reflect the era in which they were built. You may have an exterior that shouts "70s!”, for example. It’s best to examine architectural elements, colour palette and décor objectively to see if these are worn or old-fashioned.

 

Another immediate turn-off for prospective buyers is a look of disrepair. If you have sagging eaves troughs, fascia or soffit, peeling paint or rickety front steps, buyers will get a sense that the home has not been well cared-for. Is your yard in need of landscaping? A patchy lawn, overgrown shrubbery or trees with dead branches can also give your home a neglected look.

 

 

When you have lived in a home for a long time, it’s often difficult to see it objectively. You become used to your own house’s particular appearance, quirks and characteristics, and it can be tough to view it as an outside buyer might. A professional can easily point out the pros and cons of your house as it is now and can recommend simple ways to increase its curb appeal. Ask a representative from a design-build firm that also does landscaping to come give you an opinion and an estimate.

 

Renovating a front porch, adding a deck, constructing an organic path through the front yard or replacing an ugly front door with a beautiful one can give your home a more welcoming air and can draw prospective buyers in.

 

Many design-build firms also offer landscaping services. Good landscaping can create flow between your home and the outdoor space that will lend elegance to both.

 

Make sure that your home has curb appeal before putting it on the market. A modest investment in your house’s exterior can yield great returns!