Curb appeal is the most impactful way to increase buyers attention. What’s curb appeal? Curb appeal is how visually appealing your house seems from the outside looking in. Similar to a good looking dessert! If a buyer is attracted to the aesthetic of your home, they’re more capable of imagining themselves living in your home. Like anything, people want what they see.
To help you increase your home's resale value, Roborock has put together our top 6 tips for upgrading your exterior home.
Tip #1: Upgrade your front door
The front door of your home crafts the first impression for potential buyers. It’s the gateway to the interior of your home, and it has a lasting impression. Big front doors that are vibrant, allow for natural light, or are simply enticing make a huge impact on the attraction of your home.
According to Homes and Gardens, an average front door will cost you $1,000, but can range up to $1,600. This is a small investment compared to the buyer impact it causes - according to HomeSpireWindows, it can have an ROI of up to 68%!
Tip #2: Improve your landscape
Regardless of whether the buyer is a first home buyer or experienced buyer, both buyer types will research extensively before making a final decision. The internet has simplified this process, making comparing and contrasting incredibly easy. Because of this, it’s crucial you do what you can to make your home stand out. This can be achieved from a modern, colourful landscape.
This may include planting flowers or a herb garden, trimming your hedges, updating your lawn, or polishing your outside deck. With a little bit of elbow grease you can keep the cost of execution down. How big is the pay off? A high quality job has the potential to offer you a 215% return on investment, in other words, in added home value. In fact, an updated landscape can boost your home’s resale value by up to 28%.
A little bit of elbow grease, and small investment, for big returns.
Tip #3: Paint and polish
As you’re aware of by now, you must ensure your potential buyers can see themselves living in your home - for the long term. Most of the time, buyers are also looking for a good quality house that is clean, has been well looked after, and that will require minimal touch-up capital from their end.
A simple method to modernise the house and demonstrate the livability is to freshen up the paint, especially on the exterior that suffers damage due to weather. If you have cracks in your fences or walls, be sure to touch this up before painting. If you’re looking for a recommendation, neutral colours tend to be more appealing as a bright colour will reduce your target audience. With that being said, you can add some brighter colours to the interior or in specific exterior locations that you want to emphasise.
You should also consider a re-polish of wooden floors, wooden doors, and window sills. Plus, you could also polish leather couches to increase the interior aesthetic. If you have time, it’s also worthwhile to polish brass iron fixtures, such as door knobs or locks. A sparkly finish catches the eye, and we all know it’s the little details that make a big difference. By putting in a bit of elbow grease you demonstrate the care the house has received, which recieves a big tick.
Tip #4: Add automation
Automation is a rapidly expanding industry - one that shows no signs of slowing down. Millions of people use smartphones, so adding wireless automation to your home could be the feature that tips a buyer over the edge and convinces them to purchase your home. Automation such as built in, bluetooth speakers throughout the house, video doorbells, smart locks, and so on. All of which increase your resale value.
Although automation and smart devices require a larger initial investment than the other tips disclosed in this article, the benefits are three-fold. People love ‘cool’ and ‘modern’ assets - and a smart lock on the front door, or loud bluetooth speakers in the bathroom, do just that!
Tip #5: Replace old windows
Replacing old single-pane windows immediately enhances your home - not only visually, but also in regards to security and energy saving. You can save up to $500 a year on energy bills simply by replacing old windows that easily allow chilly drafts to creep into your home… even when shut closed.
Many prospective buyers will acknowledge the energy saving elements to your infrastructure, and appreciate modern touches. The little details always make the biggest impact, and it starts with your windows.
Tip #6: Pressure Wash the Exterior
Pressure washing is a super easy and cost-effective way to immediately increase the value of your home. We become so accustomed to walking in and out of our home every day that we don’t realise how dirty it is! The exterior of your home withstands storms, heavy wind, rain, grime, and dirt-debris. Before you touch up the paint on the exterior of your house, give fences, driveways, and your house a high-pressured water wash. You’d be amazed at the difference it can make.
You may spend roughly $200-$400 on the wash, but the return is worth it. You could also rent a machine and do it yourself, or with the family, for a satisfying activity!
Whilst there are many ways to increase the resale value of your home, this will depend entirely on your personal home… how old it is and the little quirks you’ve grown to love but others may not appreciate. Although many of the above tips can be completed without professional assistance, we recommend thorough research and consulting a professional in the Real Estate or Home Improvements industry.