ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Whether it is a first date or a job interview, first impressions matter. First impressions matter just as much when selling a house. To get a buyer through the door, you have to impress them with what’s outside that front door. But doing so doesn’t have to be costly. Here are some little things you can do that will add so much to your curb appeal.
Hardwood floors … an open floor plan … an updated kitchen and bath.
“There are a whole lot of components that go into buying a home,” said realtor Jennifer Gabrielse.
One of the most important things home buyers look for is curb appeal. To increase your curb appeal, try a new coat of paint on the front door, trim and shutters to make your home look brand new. Zillow found that homes with black or charcoal grey front doors sold for about $6,200 more last year. Most exterior paints only cost $30 per gallon. Next, regularly mowing the grass and getting rid of weeds can add instant curb appeal. If you do it yourself, it costs nothing but your time. To make your lawn look even greener in a jiffy, there is nontoxic, environmentally-safe green lawn spray paint that is specially formulated for grass. You can buy a quart of lawn paint for less than $40. Also you can turn the nozzle on your garden hose to the highest setting and aim it at your house to wash off dirt and grime from your sidewalk, driveway and exterior walls. Using your own garden hose costs nothing, but if you want to rent a professional power washer, it can cost $40-$75 a day. Experts say giving your house that good wash can boost your home price by $15,000 dollars.
Real estate experts also say not keeping up with the maintenance of the exterior of your home, such as cleaning gutters, replacing cracked windows and resealing asphalt can bring your house value down by at least ten percent. HGTV says exterior improvements, when done right, have a return on investment of more than 75 percent!
Contributors to this news report include: Milvionne Chery, Producer; Angela Clooney, Videographer and Editor.
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