How Important is Curb Appeal?

A homeowner cannot over-estimate the impact that curb appeal can have on the sale of your home. Studies show that property values drop by thousands, even tens of thousands, simply due to poor landscaping or a lack of maintenance on the front of your home.

Your front yard is the first thing potential buyers will see. In fact, it’s often used as the marketing photo by agents on flyers and on social media. If you neglect the front of your home, potential buyers will immediately think that the home was not well-maintained. Then they will set the value of your home based on that, before they ever set foot through the front door, and you can bet it will be lower than your asking price.

Curb appeal is not limited to just your front yard…it includes everything that can be seen from the curb. This of course includes your yard, flowers, trees, possibly grass or turf, and likely rocks. But it also includes your driveway, and the front of your home, including windows, garage door, eves and fascia boards, and of course, your front door.

If you have nails in your fascia board, peeling paint around your hose, have a deficit of rocks in numerous areas, your plumbing is rusted or has chipped paint, all of these things scream lack of maintenance to potential buyers. If your fascia boards are cracking or the paint is chipping on your eves, this is evidence of possible roof age or issues.

The mentality of buyers is often positive of a home before they see it. They specifically chose to see your home because there was something about it they liked online. But if they get out of the car and don’t like what they see, their demeanor immediately turns negative. It could be that the rest of the house is perfect but instead of seeing the positives, they will tend to dwell on the negatives. And all because their hopes for your home were dashed by a lack of curb appeal.

If you’re considering selling in the near future, take an unbiased inventory of how the front of your home will present to potential buyers. Make the changes now, before showings begin, and you’ll likely be rewarded with a higher offer price.