If you want to sell your house quickly and at the best possible price, you know you’ll have to make it look its best – especially on the outside. It’s an unavoidable fact that most buyers make a decision to go inside and see more (or not) within minutes or even seconds after seeing the outside of your house and the lawn.
That curb appeal creates the critical first impression that can lead to a sale or no sale at all. So be sure to check out these 5 ways to increase curb appeal when selling a house in Ventura.
1. Wash Everything
The first step to increase curb appeal for your Ventura house is simply to wash it before you do anything else. Whether you have wood or vinyl siding, stucco, or brick on the outside, you need to wash it. You can do a lot with a long-handled brush and a bucket of soapy water, but a better bet is a power washer.
With a power washer, you can get all the grime off your siding or brick. You can also get the dirt and grease off sidewalks and driveways to give the whole exterior a clean, fresh look and appeal. And don’t forget to clean all the windows and wash the garage door.
You can rent a power washer for about $75 per day. But that’s a tiny expense when you consider that “washing a house can add $10,000 to $15,000 to the sale price of some houses.”
2. Do Some Painting
The next most cost-effective thing you can do (and with a great return on investment) to increase curb appeal when selling a house in Ventura is to invest some time and effort in painting the exterior. “The most commonly offered curb appeal advice from real estate pros and appraisers is to give the exterior of your home a good paint job. Buyers will instantly notice it, and appraisers will value it.”
Hiring a professional painter can be fairly pricey, but it’s well worth the expense because it will increase both curb appeal and the sale price. Another reason to hire professionals is that they can help you get the colors right. “An appraiser,” the experts say, “will mark down the value of a house that’s painted a wildly different color from its competition.”
It’s also a good idea to talk to your local agent about the best colors to compete in your market. To find out more about this, just call 805-232-8503.
3. Repair the Roof
When it comes to the exterior of your house, maybe the most important thing to buyers is the condition of the roof. Replacing a roof can be a pretty big expense, and that’s why a roof in poor repair can put buyers off. According to the National Association of Realtors, “the national median cost of a new asphalt shingle roof is about $7,500.”
So in your efforts to increase curb appeal when selling a house in Ventura, be sure to make any needed roof repairs, such as replacing broken shingles or tiles. But if you do have to replace the entire roof, don’t worry – you will most likely recoup that expense and possibly more. Again, according to the NAR, “[a] new roof has an ROI of 109%.”
4. Put Down Mulch and Plant Some Plants
One of the best ways to increase curb appeal is to do some landscaping work. And it doesn’t have to be a big, expensive, professional full-blown landscaping job. You can do a lot to enhance curb appeal by laying down new mulch in beds and planting some drought-tolerant plants.
The new mulch will give the beds and yard a fresh, appealing look. And adding some low-maintenance plants will provide a nice contrast with the new mulch and some enticing outdoor accents. For just a couple hundred dollars, then, you can improve curb appeal so that buyers will want to go inside and see more. One expert says that new mulch and plants will make “an elegant polished statement.”
5. Brighten the Front Entry Door
Keep in mind, too, that it’s very important to improve those areas that most powerfully draw a buyer’s eye. And perhaps at the top of the list here is the front entry area and door. Making that sparkle will do a lot to increase curb appeal when selling a house in Ventura.
Your task here may be as simple as painting the front door. But replacing the old door with a new one is always a good idea. Entry doors aren’t all that expensive, and it will yield a good return on investment, as well as working well to create a great first impression.
Here’s what real estate pros say about it: “Buyers will often stand at the front door for a couple of minutes while the agent gets the key out of the lockbox . . . Make those moments count.”
Ask Your Agent
What else can you do to increase curb appeal when selling a house in Ventura? Quite a lot actually. But not everything you can do will yield a good return on the time and money invested and may not help you sell any quicker or at a better price. That’s where your local real estate agent comes in. Your agent can advise you on what you should and shouldn’t do to increase curb appeal and what will give you the best ROI in the local market. Find out more today by calling 805-232-8503 or sending us a message!