Improving Curb Appeal To
Potential Carefree Homebuyers

If a potential Carefree homebuyer is not impressed with the outside appearance of your home, they’re not likely to bother looking at the inside. You may be losing a sale because of relatively minor issues. An unkempt exterior signals deeper problems even though none may exist. Before listing your home for sale, stand at the curb and carefully look at your home from a buyer’s perspective. Since a buyer is probably making the biggest single investment in his/her life, they will look at every detail for signs of poor maintenance and costly repairs.

Take notes of any negative aspects and prepare a priority list of items that need fixing of “sprucing-up”. Many exposed problems may only need a bit of “elbow grease” with do-it-yourself effort. Other issues may be too costly to address such as a complete re-painting or re-roofing. Every seller must balance the expense of a repair versus the potential gain through a higher sales price. Generally however, a homebuyer will either require deficiencies to be repaired as a condition of contract, or will offer less for your home to offset the needed repairs.

Our advice is to do what you can within your budget while considering the likelihood of cost-recovery. The objective is getting the largest possible return balanced by your urgency to make a sale. Following is an overview of items that may require attention:

Landscape

Keeping a well-manicured landscape doesn’t cost much to achieve, if anything at all, but is crucial to getting a potential buyer into your home. The obvious applies here. Mow, edge, trim and pull weeds. Shape hedges and if you have decorative rock areas, rake it to a smooth finish. Consider planting some embellishment and adding some flowers. Some buyers will check sprinklers and drip-lines so repair those as necessary.

Driveway

Repair any cracks and consider acid washing to remove any grease or oil stains. Replace any damaged pavers. A coat of water-sealant adds a nice finishing touch to a well-cleaned driveway.

Paint & Wood Surfaces

A fresh coat of performs visual wonders. At minimum look for areas of “paint-peeling” and do some touch-up. If the home needs re-painting but isn’t in the budget, consider painting the trim areas. Look for any signs of water-corrosion or water stains. Many times a good washing will remove dis-colorizations.

Pest Control Issues

Look carefully for signs of pest damage being observant for both large and small pests such as gophers, moles and mice as well as insects, ants, cockroaches and in-particular…termites. It’s always a good idea to have a pest control specialist help you look for the tell-tale signs and put controls into action.

Other Visual Eye-Sores

Repair or replace cracked windows, damaged screens or window trimming. Replace burned-out light bulbs and repair under-performing exterior lighting. It’s time to fix broken doorbells and lubricate squeaky doors. Broken-down cars should be removed. Hose-down exterior walls to remove dirt, stains, spider webs and bird-droppings. Windows should be cleaned both outside and within. Remove any clutter including toys and garden tools. The main entrance to your home should be a primary focus of your attention.

Roof Repairs

A poorly maintained roof will be a major deterrent to a potential homebuyer particularly if they ultimately discover signs of interior leaks. At a minimum, replace torn, damaged or missing roof shingles, roof tiles or wood shakes.

Keep It Show Quality

The first impression to a buyer is crucial. The goal is the appearance of the best maintained home in your neighborhood. Out-shine your competition. Once your home is listed, keep it in show quality. You never know when an interest buyer will drive-by for an initial look before calling a real estate agent.

See our Carefree Home & Garden section to find homeowner services.

Other Interesting articles for sellers.

The Home Selling Process
Improving Curb Appeal
WOW The Home Buyer

James Wexler Email me		Daniel Wexler Email me

Phone: 480 200-9097
Phone: 480 221-8080
Fax: 480 585-6811



23435 N. Pima Rd., Suite 173
Scottsdale, AZ 85255