Spring Market Curb Appeal Boosters

05.03.16 by

Spring Market Curb Appeal Boosters

Many focus solely on the inside of their homes and forget about curb appeal – you know, the way a home looks from the curb? While it may be challenging for sellers to understand the idea of investing in a home they are leaving, the goal is to sell and get top dollar.

While your client may not be prepared to invest in some of these items, at the very least, be sure the landscaping has been tended to and the siding is clean and intact.

So let’s take a look at the 4 places money can best be spent outside:

Landscaping and Lighting

Spice up the exterior of the home with a freshly manicured lawn, new shrubbery, colorful flowers and top it off with lighting. New shrubs and a crisp lawn won’t show well in the dark so install some outdoor lighting and call attention to the great new place that just happens to be ready to buy.

Don’t forget to shine a light on the house numbers – buyers can’t take note of the address if it can’t been seen.

Siding and Paint

Make sure the siding or paint is clean and not cracking or peeling. At the very least you want the outside of the home to be clean. If your clients aren’t in a position to replace or repaint the exterior of the home you can always use a power washer to spruce up siding or a hose to clean up exterior paint.

New Doors and Windows

If a home is dated, new windows and doors can give the home a cleaner, newer look – in the end more appealing to your potential buyers. If the sellers are on a budget then you might want to consider a new coat of paint; a fresh new look will breathe life back into weathered windows and doors.

Your Roof

A damaged roof is cause for concern and is best addressed immediately. Replacing a roof will be something that will appeal to buyers as it’s a big ticket item they would rather not deal with in just a few short years. Also, with a new roof comes a new asking price – that’s right this will increase the value of the home.

At the end of the day you’ll want potential buyers to want to walk into the home and the only way to do this is to draw them in with an attractive exterior.

Reprinted with permission from Partner Xchange

The 8-Second Decision for Stuart Home Showings

06.02.15 by

 The 8-Second Decision for Stuart Home Showings

 curb appeal

“Buyers make their decisions in exactly eight seconds. After that, they’ve either fallen in love or are just honoring an appointment.”

You’re likely to come across that quotation (from prominent Manhattan Realtor® Barbara Corcoran) whenever you’re researching how to add the most value to your Stuart home with the least expense. For Martin County home owners about to list their property, it’s a somewhat unnerving prospect. If true, then every showing may start with what sports fans call a sudden death playoff!

If you are a future seller with a Stuart home that needs improvement, it’s only realistic to accept the likelihood that should you go to market without doing anything about it, it will cost you one way or another. Either the offers you garner will be lower than they needed to be, or (worse), the home will linger too long with no real offers at all. If you have any leeway in time and/or budget, there are two approaches you can take to fix the problem.

First, you can hire a professional to assess the problem and lay out solutions. It may be expensive (not necessarily); but it’s a pretty foolproof approach. You and your real estate representative can go over the recommendations, assess which will be most cost-effective—most certain to reflect in the value your home realizes—and then get them done.

The other way is to make your own evaluation, and act on it. Drive up to your curb just as prospective buyers will, get out of the car, approach your home, and take in what needs fixing. If your curbside mailbox doesn’t have clearly recognizable numbers on it; if the walkway looks stained or broken; if the bushes have last fall’s dead leaves lodged in them; if the front doorbell is rusty…you get the idea! Note what’s wrong (heave a sigh of relief for what’s right), and get going! It will pay off!

On the other hand, if you have a Stuart home that’s undisputedly a true eye-pleaser, you’re probably content with the Love at First Sight precept—as you should be. If you’ve done your job of maintaining your home’s exterior and landscaping, you’re steps ahead. But a word of caution: that first decision doesn’t have to be final. If what buyers experience once they are inside is persuasively positive, any off-putting first-glance judgement can be turned around. What’s of key importance is that no single glaring negative element be present. If it is, it can seal a negative first impression…or undermine a positive one.

I’m here to lend experience and advice every step of the way. And a good first step is a really simple one: call!