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A
large
percentage
of home
buyers
decide
whether
or not
to look
inside
a house
or take
it seriously
based
on its
curb appeal
- the
view
they
see when
they
drive
by or
arrive
for a
showing.
You
can help
make
sure
they
want
to come
inside
your
house
by spending
some
time
working
on the
its exterior
appearance.
It’s
difficult
to look
at our
own house
in the
same
way that
potential
home
buyers
do, because
when
we become
accustomed
to the
way something
looks
and functions,
we can’t
see its
faults.
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Curb
Appeal Exercise
The
next time
you come home,
stop across
the street
or far
enough down
the driveway
to get
a good view
of the
house and its
surroundings.
1.
What is your
first impression
of the
house and yard area?
2. What
are the
best exterior
features
of the
house
or lot? How
can you
enhance
them?
3. What
are the
worst exterior
features
of the
house or
lot? How
can you minimize
or improve
them?
Park
where a
potential buyer
would and walk
towards the
house, looking
around you
as if it were
your first
visit.
Is
the approach
clean and tidy?
What could you
do to make it
more attractive?
Take photos of
the home’s
exterior. If
you have a digital
camera, view
the color versions
first, then remove
the color and
look at it in
black and white,
because it’s
easier to see
problems when
color isn’t
around to affect
our senses.
Make
a list of the
problem areas
you discovered.
Tackle clean
up and repair
chores first,
then put some
time into projects
that make the
grounds more
attractive.
• Kill
mold and mildew
on the house,
sidewalks,
roof, or driveway.
• Stow away
unnecessary
garden implements
and tools.
• Clean windows
and gutters.
• Wash dirty
siding and
dingy decks.
• Edge sidewalks
and remove
vegetation
growing between
concrete
or bricks.
• Mow the lawn.
Get rid of
weeds.
• Rake and
dispose of
leaves, even
if your lot
is wooded.
• Trim
tree limbs
that are near
or touching
the home’s
roof.
Don’t
Forget the
Rear View
Buyers
doing a drive-by
will try their
best to see
your back yard.
If it’s
visible
from another
street or from someone’s driveway, include it in your curb appeal efforts.
Evening
Curb Appeal
Do
your curb appeal
exercise again
at dusk, because
it isn’t
unusual for
potential buyers
to drive by
houses in the
evening. One
quick way to
improve evening
curb appeal
is with lighting.
-
String low
voltage lighting
along your
driveway, sidewalks,
or near important
landscaping elements.
- Add a decorative street lamp or an attractive light fixture to a front
porch.
- Make
sure lighting
that’s
visible through
front doors
and windows
enhances
the home’s
appearance.
Landscaping
Decisions
There
are times that
adding elements
to your landscaping
can improve
curb appeal,
but there
are other
times when removing
something
is even more
effective. For
example, we had
a listing for
a large brick
house with large
white columns. Tall
evergreens, planted
in front of
each column,
had grown taller
than the roof.
They obscured
the columns
and windows
and
made it difficult
to see the front
of the house.
We suggested
that the owner
remove them.
She trimmed them
back, but it didn’t
do the trick—they
were unattractive
and still kept
potential buyers
from seeing the
true character
of the house.
I sold
the house to
a couple who
could see past
the trees. One
of their first
tasks after closing
was to yank them
out of the ground,
instantly boosting
the home’s
curb appeal.
Most
buyers cannot
visualize changes,
and often won’t
take a second
look at a house
if the first
look doesn’t
appeal to them. Home
buyers who
can visualize
changes, and
are prepared
to make them,
expect you to
reduce the price
of the house
to compensate
for the work
they plan to
do.
I want to remodel,
but where should
I put my money
in Today's market?
In today's real
estate market,
anxious home
sellers -- or
those merely
thinking about selling -- might well heed a finding of the latest annual
remodeling study: It's what's outside that counts.
Each year the remodeling trade journals study typical projects in various
cost brackets to calculate which ones have the greatest rate of return when
a house is sold. In 2007 the top projects were those that ostensibly
contributed to the homes' curb appeal.
Face it, sellers: In this current and near future market, choosy buyers can
-- and do -- keep driving if they don't like what they see from the street.
So, the magazine's survey says an "upscale" siding replacement could provide
the best return at the closing table.
In the study, such a project about 1,250 square feet of fiber-cement siding
(example Hardi-board) would average $14,000 in the Chicagoland area; the
magazine estimates a homeowner would recoup 100 % of that if the house were
sold one year later. Mid-range siding (vinyl, costing about $11,759) would
return 100 % in the Chicagoland area, the magazine said.
Other top paybacks went to new decks/porches (returning 81 to 94 % in the
Chicago market, depending on material and cost) and wooden replacement
windows/storms (returning 90 to 94 % of the cost in Chicago), the magazine
said.
The jobs that did the least, nationwide and in the Chicago area, were
back-up power generators, sunroom additions and remodeled home offices, the
magazine said. Those returned 62 to 66 % on investment, depending on the
job.
This was the 20th Remodeling study, which it calls "Cost vs. Value Report." In
recent years it seems to have improved significantly in its sophistication and
depth.
The bottom line of this bottom-line survey, its editor's report, is that the
marketplace seems to be trending toward practical and maintenance-oriented
projects -- the stuff that needs to be done, as opposed to the things that
might make your heart sing.
For the complete report on our area:
http://costvsvalue.com/eastnorthcentral.html
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