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Real Estate Information |
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Curb Appeal
First, lets start with what it is. Curb appeal is quite simply the rate of attractiveness your home projects to viewers from the street. Why is this important? As the definition states, it is the ultimate first impression. You may have an immaculate, luxurious interior but without high curb appeal, few will bother to step inside to see it. This is even more important when selling on your own because you don't have a realtor to hype the interior as worth a viewing. Is it worth the trouble to invest, if you don't have good curb appeal? The payback value on exterior upgrades to your property range from 49% for landscaping improvements to 62% for exterior home improvements, such as painting. Next to the kitchen and bath, these are the highest payback ratios for home improvements and are well worth the initial investment. In the order of highest payback value, we have provided some tips to help you achieve higher curb appeal for your home: Exterior Painting Painting the exterior may appear daunting and not worth the effort, but research shows that it results in the greatest return on time and money for exterior improvements. As a guideline, when choosing color, a long and low house looks most appealing with colours that emphasize vertical elements such as doors and shutters, while taller more narrow homes should contrast its horizontal elements likes fascias and gutters. Window boxes are a nice touch as well. If painting is out of the questions, the bare minimum improvements should be to: Wash the full exterior to clear it from dirt and cobwebs. Renting a high pressure washer is best. Fix any loose, missing, or damaged shutters. Clean, paint, or replace mailbox, doorknobs, and street numbers. Windows Especially with a freshly painted or washed exterior, dirty windows will stand out like a sore thumb, and will date them past their true age. Tips for cleaning windows - Do not clean windows while they are in direct sunlight. Your cleaning solution will dry too fast. Using a 100% cotton cleaning cloth, dip the cloth in cleaning solution and wring out excess before wiping the window to loosen dirt. Using a squeegee, start each stroke in a dry spot, and squeegee in a pattern from top to bottom or side to side. If you are cleaning the outside and inside of the window, alternate the pattern on each side (i.e. top to bottom on the inside and side to side on the outside). This will make it easier to identify which side any streaks are on. Keep your squeegee blade dry by wiping it with a cleaning cloth between strokes. Nicks in the squeegee blade will cause streaks. Replace when needed. If you do not have a squeegee, newspaper will dry freshly washed windows, whereas papertowel or cotton will leave lint behind. Cool clear water is the choice of solution by most professional window washers. For very dirty windows, add 2 tablespoons of vinegar per gallon of water. Landscaping Homeowners should plant colorful flowers along walkway leading to the door, prune existing trees, shrubs and bushes, and add fresh mulch. Clean out dead plants and weeds from flower beds and refresh with colorful plants and annuals. Taller plants at the corners of your house will help anchor it with the landscape. Shorter plants near your home's entry bring attention to your front door. However, this could have a negative impact if the front door is in need of repair (another reason to rethink the exterior improvements noted previously). Last but most definitely not least and probably most important, ensure your lawn is trimmed and green. If you have a lawn in need of attention, you may want to consult a landscaper for advice before trying to repair on your own. Overall Appeal Some further touches that will go along way to increasing the appeal of your home from curbside are: Outdoor lighting - Exterior lighting in your garden, walkway or entrance area add a warmth and welcome feeling that will make a viewer want to see more. Indoor lighting - While your house is on the market, leave lamps on in 1 or 2 front rooms. It brings the home to life and, again, provides the same warmth and welcome feeling as the exterior lighting. Exterior lighting alone will not provide the appearance of a well loved, lived in home, like the combination of exterior and interior lighting can. Furniture - As long as the chairs are well kept and not cluttered looking within the space, two chairs on a front porch provides a tremendous visual appeal from the street. Buyers view the exterior as an extension of the home and will want to view more. The best advice for creating great curb appeal, is to take a walk through your favourite neighbourhood. Analyze what works really well and what doesn't. Then determine why and incorporate those items to fit your own exterior. Most of all enjoy the outdoors and don't get too overwhelmed by the work at hand. © February, 2004 - Xstream Realty Incorporated Amie Walton is the president and founder of Xstream Realty Incorporated, a Virtual Agent online real estate service. She has retained her ASP designation in Home Staging and is managing both XstreamRealty.com and XstreamStaging.com as complementary businesses for assisting homeowners to sell their homes quickly and profitably.
MORE RESOURCES: Redfin, the Online Real Estate Broker, Leaves the National Association of Realtors The New York Times Regent Properties eyes $500 million in debt investments The Dallas Morning News Commercial real-estate values slide 11%. Surge in 10-year Treasury yields won't help, Barclays says. MarketWatch Gucci, Chanel and Other Luxury Retailers Splurge on American Real Estate The Wall Street Journal Katy Perry real estate battle inspires a bill to protect elders from financial abuse Yahoo Entertainment Katy Perry real estate battle inspires a bill to protect elders from financial abuse Entertainment Weekly News September 2023's Median Price of Wake County Real Estate ... Wake County Government (.gov) Maine Commercial Real Estate Transactions: September 2023 Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel UBS Calls For Retrofits in Real Estate Bloomberg Women Leaders in Commercial Real Estate D Magazine Island real estate transactions - 10-04-2023 The Anna Maria Islander Real Estate Investing: How You Can Profit Now Kiplinger's Personal Finance Real Estate Executive Pleads Guilty to Multi-Year Conspiracy to ... Department of Justice Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame: Encore Real Estate ... REjournals.com Hurricane Ian — One Year Later: Real Estate | News, Sports, Jobs ... Pine Island Eagle Defined contribution plans moving into real estate – study Pensions & Investments Real People of Real Estate 2023 – Savannah Magazine savannahmagazine CBRE economic advisor Spencer Levy to keynote Commercial Real Estate and Development Conference BizTimes Milwaukee eXp Realty Agents Take Center Stage for EXPCON 2023, Real ... eXp World Holdings Real estate transfers: Richfield Cape Cod sells for $820K Akron Beacon Journal 13 Must Reads for Real Estate Investors (Oct. 2, 2023) Wealth Management Recent Greenwich real estate sale among the highest in CT this year New Haven Register Restaurant Real Estate: October 2023 Portland Food Map Real Estate: Why Gen Z Should Factor Rising Insurance Costs Into Their Home Buying Strategy Yahoo Finance How China's Property Crisis Is Testing Its Too-Big-to-Fail Banks The New York Times Real Estate Transactions for Oct. 3 Sedalia Democrat Real estate brokers in Yakima Valley see hopeful signs in housing market Yakima Herald-Republic Embracing autumn in Incline Village, Crystal Bay: A Real Estate ... Tahoe Daily Tribune Real Estate Update: Affordability Still A Concern As Government ... Huntsville Business Journal Real Estate Spotlight: Cudahy Farms development to provide more than just housing BizTimes Milwaukee New York Real Estate Broker Sentenced Bribery Scheme The Real Deal Banks Pull Back on Commercial Real Estate Lending CoStar Group ARTIS REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST ANNOUNCES TIMING OF RELEASE OF Q3-23 RESULTS AND CONFERENCE CALL Yahoo Finance REAL ESTATE BRIEFS Las Vegas Business Press Real Estate Notes: Permit sought for SoBro Marriott project Nashville Post East Cobb residential real estate sales, Sept. 11-15, 2023 East Cobb News Wayne Ratkovich, Real Estate Icon, Dies at 82 Los Angeles Business Journal Wilton Real Estate Report (Sept. 22-28, 2023): Five Homes Change ... Good Morning Wilton RetailMeNot seeks to downsize real estate footprint in CBD - Austin ... The Business Journals Real estate transfers: Sept. 29, 2023 RiverheadLOCAL How to navigate Phoenix luxury real estate market with expert ... Arizona Big Media Gershman Commercial Real Estate expands ownership The Business Journals Ohio Podcaster Accused of $11 Million Ponzi Scheme The Real Deal Aspen Real Estate Snapshot, Oct. 2 Aspen Daily News WSU Center for Real Estate releases 2024 Kansas Housing Markets ... Wichita State University When Artificial Intelligence meets “Real” Estate | Real Estate ... Santa Fe New Mexican Metro Moves: High 5 Plumbing moves to Golden, Kentwood Real Estate acquires Calibrate The Denver Gazette Real estate experts launch note. A Mortgage Agency Las Vegas Business Press Erie County real estate transactions Buffalo News The 35 Go-To L.A. Real Estate Brokers for Beyoncé, J. Lo and Other Hollywood Heavyweights Hollywood Reporter August 2023's Median Price of Wake County Real Estate decreased ... Wake County Government (.gov) Chairman Carper's Opening Statement for Hearing on the GSA's ... US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Routt County real estate sales eclipse $28.1M from Sept. 22-28 Steamboat Pilot & Today Morgan Stanley Real Estate Dealmaker To Retire CoStar Group Real Estate Sales Include Dunkirk Building, Ellery Campground Jamestown Post Journal Initiative highlights overlooked real estate on Atlanta's Southside The Atlanta Journal Constitution Real estate entrepreneur Jason St. John returns to campus Central Michigan University $10 Million Gift Establishes Wilbur C. Henderson Real Estate ... Drexel University Real Estate, Consumer Confidence and More: What to Watch This ... The Wall Street Journal Watching the Real-Estate Bust From the Streets of San Francisco The Wall Street Journal |
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