How To Improve A Homes Curb Appeal In Rochester NY

9 Tips To Improve A Homes Curb Appeal

If you’re hoping to sell your home in the near future, you’ve probably been running around the interior, applying fresh coats of paint and steaming the carpets. But what about the exterior — the first thing a potential buyer would see when they show up for a tour?

Fueled by high demand, the housing market is hot this year. Rents for apartments in Rochester and tons of smaller cities across the nation, for example — Minneapolis, have increased since the start of this year, and things might not slow down anytime soon.

If you’ve recently considered unloading the place you call home, then this might be the time to capitalize on a hot market and think about finally selling your Rochester NY home.

If selling is an option, there are a few simple changes you can make to your home’s exterior to give it years of new life and enhanced curb appeal without dropping thousands.

Tip #1 – Refresh Your Front Door

First things first: Pretend you’re a potential buyer showing up to tour the property. Is your front door welcoming? Or does it look like it holds a decade of future repairs and refurbishments?

Clean and repaint your front door to make a good impression, and fix any tears that might be in the screen. If the hardware is looking a little worn, consider buying a new lock and knob set to make the door feel brand-new again.

Tip #2 – Wash or Repaint Siding and Windows

This simple measure is largely overlooked. Many homes these days have vinyl siding, which is easy to wash and never requires painting. Pressure washers are affordable to rent and can make an enormous impact on the appearance of your siding in just an afternoon.

As an added bonus, you can use it to clean your sidewalks and driveway and remove years of salt and dirt. But be warned: Pressure washers can be very dangerous to use if you’re not properly trained or following the appropriate safety measures.

If you have wood siding, it might be wise to repaint the exterior to enhance the value of your home.  Painting the exterior of your home is one of the best projects to increase the value of a home on a budget!

Tip #3 – Replace Exterior Accessories & Lighting

If you splurge for a new handle and lock for your front door, make sure it still matches the other accessories surrounding the entrance — the doorbell, lighting fixtures, house numbers, and mailbox.

All of those home features are affordable to replace, and the switch from tarnished, patchy gold-tone to brushed steel or bronze will instantly give your home a new look and feel.

As you’re improving the exterior lighting of your home, it’s a smart idea to consider energy-efficient options.  This is a great way to create an energy-efficient home without breaking your bank!

Tip #4 – Add Greenery

Home-seekers are going to have their own visions for landscaping, so don’t spend a lot of time and money making significant changes or planting trees that the new owner might very well yank out.

Instead, try potted plants and add life and greenery to a porch, entryway, or window.  Adding plants and flowers to your home’s exterior is one of the most popular tips for preparing for the spring real estate market and will definitely give a boost to the curb appeal!

Tip #5 – Edge Pavement

Typically, in fall before the snow flies, people on the east coast are out raking leaves and edging their sidewalks. But what’s the point?

Edging your sidewalk makes shoveling the inevitable show easier, protects your driveway and sidewalks from the damage creeping plants can cause, and — simply put — it looks good.

A manicured appearance lets buyers know that your home has been thoughtfully maintained while under your ownership, which is a great advantage for the long term.

Tip #6 – Look Up

Most homeowners don’t give their roofs too much time for maintenance. But the roof is a hugely important piece of any home.

Are you missing shingles? Is the roof worn down?

A good cleaning is necessary before a sale and you might even go as far as a roof replacement to really spice things up before having buyers view the property.

Tip #7 – The Second Opinion

Homeowners often get used to certain things being wrong with their homes. The cracks in the sidewalk, the stained steps leading up to the front door, or the cobwebs on the back porch that hasn’t been used in three years.

All of these issues are important to clean up to give your home a bit more curb appeal. So, ask a friend. A second set of eyes can do wonders for your home, as people who have not lived in the house will have a non-biased opinion on what they think needs to be fixed up prior to having buys through the door.

Take some time, walk your friends or neighbors through your house and you’ll be happy you did it!

Tip #8 – Open It Up

Shutters, windows, blinds, doors — open them up!

Studies have shown that brighter homes sell faster, and while closed curtains or blinds might lend more style to the inside of your home, open layouts, windows and doors look much prettier and inviting from the street.

Go outside and take a quick glance at your window treatments, you’ll notice that when you pull them back, the home becomes more inviting and bright inside and out.

This can be a key factor in getting buyers into your home and can make a great first impression!

Tip #9 – Clean Those Gutters

Living in New York means some very brutal winters and even some extremely cold spring temperatures. No one wants to get outside, hop on a ladder and clean the gutters when it’s cold out. But this can be important when you’re getting ready to sell your home.

Stay on top of your monthly, and yearly, maintenance tasks and let your buyer know that you care about the upkeep of this home. This will also help protect your home from water damage throughout the year, especially in the spring and fall.

Here are some great tips for creating home maintenance checklists if you’re unsure how to do so.

Final Thoughts

Selling your home can be a long, arduous process and you might even have to deal with some millennial buyers looking to overcome mortgage rejection to purchase your home! Or maybe you’ll get a deal done that’s very easy to close.

Either way, by being proactive and working to make your home as beautiful as it can be, you can significantly shorten your home’s time on the market and increase the purchase price. In many markets across the country, a little work can go a long way.

So, if you’re selling your home in Rochester, you now have the blueprint for increasing your home’s curb appeal.  The next step is hiring a real estate agent to sell your home who can help introduce buyers to your amazing property.

Once people start coming for showing, they won’t be able to resist the freshly painted front door, the newly planted garden, the clean walkway and sidewalks, the clean gutters and the overall charm of your home. Putting in the work before the showings will make you a very happy seller when the offer comes across your desk.

Other Helpful Resources For Selling A Home

About The Author: The above article “How To Improve A Homes Curb Appeal In Rochester NY” was written by Sam Radbil.  Sam is a contributing member of the content team at ABODO Apartments, an online apartment marketplace. ABODO was founded in 2013 in Madison, Wisconsin, and in just three years, the company has grown to more than 30 employees, raised over $8M in outside funding and helps more than half a million renters find a new home each month.

About Rochester’s Real Estate Blog: Rochester’s Real Estate Blog is owned and operated by Kyle Hiscock of the Hiscock Sold Team at RE/MAX Realty Group.

With over 35 years of combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise.

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