The curb appeal is a very important part of the renovation. It is also an often overlooked part of flipping houses. All too many beginner and experienced flippers look at their house and think that the house looks good enough inside so that they do not have to worry about creating great curb appeal. This is a big mistake.
Research has shown that the curb appeal has a very large effect on how the potential buyer view the house itself. A potential buyer that is happy and impressed before he opens the door will have a more positive reaction to what he finds inside the house then one that remains unimpressed when he opens the door.
It is true that the house might be good enough to sell even without good curb appeal. But that the house sells is not evidence that you do not have to worry about curb appeal. You are till leaving money on the table if you ignore the curb appeal. Fixing the curb appeal will give potential buyers a better impression of the house and make them willing to pay more when the bidding begins. You are also likely to get more bidders. Together these two factors will allow you to make a lot larger profit on each house.
Getting 5 000 extra when you sell the house might not sound like lot but if you consider that you might only have spent 1000 to get it then it easy to see why money invested in curb appeal is money well spent.
The first and most important step to improving the curb appeal is to clean it up. Make sure there is no trash, dead leaves or other unsightly things in the front. Make sure that the lawn is well trimmer and in good condition. If it is dried up you might to have to replace it to get a good looking lawn in front of the house. You do not need to have a lawn but if you do then it has to be in good condition.
Keep any trees that are present in the front but trim them so that they look good. If there are large shade trees then these might really improve the curb appeal as long as they have been stemmed up the first 6 ft to make it easy to see the house. If there are a lot of small trees then it can be a good idea to remove some of them.
You might need the cities permission if you want to remove trees from your front lawn. This is especially likely if the trees are close to the street. Always find out if you can cut the trees before doing so.
Make sure that the driveway is clean and in good condition. Make sure that there are no cracks in it if it is a concrete or asphalt drive way. Make sure that is is flat and that there is nothing growing in it if it is a gravel driveway.
The door of your house is very important for a good curb appeal. Make sure that the house has a good looking door that suits the house. Sometimes this can be achieved by painting the door. At other times you might have to repaint it.
Make sure that the stairs and deck is in good condition and looks good. If the house does not have any of these then you can ignore this advice.
Well planted flowers along the walls and walk ways can do wonders for the street appeal. There are a lot of cheap plants that you can buy to increase the street appeal without spending a lot of money. Which plants you should chose depends on where you live and the character of the house you want to sell.
Comments are currently closed.