Does Curb Appeal Really Matter?
Many sellers ask me does the curb appeal really matter? The answer is, it depends.
In most situations the answer is yes; however, there may be a few situations where that answer is “not really”.
Let’s start with the “yes”.
For most buyers their first impression of a home comes immediately when pulling into the driveway. From the car, they are making assumptions and assessments based on the exterior condition, tidiness, and landscaping.
Having a clean, well-groomed yard can really improve the appeal of the home with accessible walkways, clean landscaping and little debris in the yard. This obviously can be a bit harder to gauge in the winter when we have a lot of snow.
A few key areas that are often assessed are the condition of the siding, roof and windows. Chipped window or door paint, damaged siding, bent gutters are a few items that can catch the buyer’s eyes right away. The roof can be one of the larger expenses for many homes if it needs to be replaced, and one of the first things buyers look at when gauging the age and condition of the home. Make sure that it is clean and the gutters are too!
Now we’ll transition to when the curb appeal doesn’t matter as much.
For certainly circumstances, namely rentals or investments, the buyers / investors may not care as much about the quality of the home’s exterior. They may be fully aware the home is occupied with tenants and that may be appealing to them because the rents are already coming in.
For investors that are looking to “flip” or “rehab” a property, they may actually prefer a worse condition, to secure a better price and they may be looking to completely remodel the home.
Overall, in most cases, I recommend taking a step back and looking at your home from the road. What do you think? Are there any items that are inexpensive to improve to improve the first impression to prospective buyers.
This article is brought to you by:
Austin Solomon | Realtor with The Solomon Group – Coldwell Banker Action (715) 212-4693