14 Easy Ways to Up the Value of Your Home
Saturday, June 19, 2010
If you're getting ready to sell your house or it's been on the market for awhile with no interested buyers, you may want to think about sprucing up the outside of your home. It's called "curb appeal" and a great exterior appearance is as important as what's inside the home you're trying to sell. Take advantage of the good weather, get outside and use the following tips to perk up the outside of your home. First impressions are important and these tips will make your home more attractive to potential buyers.
Clean up the yard. This is a no-cost way to improve the look of your home. Lawn furniture, toys and empty plant pots that are strewn around your front yard belong out of sight. If you have a patio or deck, make sure the furniture is neat and clean. A rusty grill on the deck is an eye sore. If you really need to keep it, stow it away while your home is on the market.
Focus on the details. If you haven't replaced your mailbox, front lights or house numbers in decades, it's time to do that. Re-paint a rusty fixture or replace it if you're handy. Make sure the light bulb is new as many house-hunters like to take a drive by at night. Add a new mailbox and a shiny set of house numbers and you have an instant exterior face-lift.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAdd some visual interest. Even if you're not a landscaper, take a do-it-yourself tips from professional landscaper, Brian Govednik, owner of BG Landscaping in Bristol. Bryan recommends easy-to-maintain flowers that give off colorful curb appeal in the summer.
"If you like color, knock-out roses are nice," Govednik said. "They give the beauty of roses without the hassle of traditional rose maintenance. Day-lilies are also great. They have long lives and they are perennials. At the end of the season, just rake the dead stuff and they'll reappear next season." That's a bonus for the person who buys your home. Instant flowers next season!
Wash your vinyl siding.Rent a power washer or borrow your neighbor’s and give your siding a bath. It will do wonders for the visual image and it's not all that hard to do. If you don't have siding and your house needs a paint job, it's a bit of an expense but it may cost you a sale if you don't. If the inside of your home is pristine people may never get to see it if they are turned off by the peeling paint on the exterior.
Keep your lawn green and trimmed. Overgrown grass, weeds and grass that is brown from zero maintenance is an instant turn-off to house hunters. Rake up the leaves from the fall, trim the hedges and take care of your lawn.
Some sage advice from Brian at BG Landscaping on lawn care: "Lawns need about 1/10 inches of water per week, though areas that are in full sun with no shade need the most attention. It's better to water all at once as opposed to in small amounts because the water absorbs better that way. Cut it once a week. It's like hair; you want to keep it trimmed and looking nice. A good rule of thumb is to cut it to 3.25 inches for good maintenance."
So, if your house is on the market, spend some time giving it some curb appeal. In a buyer's market, it can mean the difference between a home that sells quickly and a home that sell for far below the asking price.
If you have questions about landscaping or getting your yard in shape for selling, find BG Landscaping on Facebook or contact owner Brian Govednik at 401-297-9183.
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