Your home exterior and curb appeal play a major role in its value when the time comes to sell. If done right, an attractive exterior can greatly enhance its visual beauty and single it out in a competitive housing market. Although it’s not the only things buyer focus on, it certainly affects their first impression. This is why a good home exterior makeover can turn a buyer over and all the hard work you invest in sprucing up the façade, landscape and important little details, will pay itself out. Here are several ideas on how to make the exterior of your home become the talk of the neighbourhood.
Spruce up the façade
The state of your façade is the calling card of your home and if it’s in bad shape, most buyers won’t even consider going inside. In order to make your home as presentable as possible, power wash the façade and give it a generous layer of fresh new paint. Before you start, make sure you first fix all the cracks, replace broken panelling and faded shutters. When it comes to choosing the colour, you should check if there are any local regulations regarding the type of paint you can use. If that’s not the case, go with a lighter shade and a few darker accents on window and door trims and shutters, to give your home more charm and character.
Fix the roof
Right after assessing the façade, prospective homebuyers will check out the roof of your home. If there’s anything missing, curling up, bulging or fading, it will ruin the overall look. It’s important to have everything fixed, otherwise appraisers will reduce the value of your home by the cost of repairs. It’s also recommendable you get expert assessment of your roof condition as it may turn out it needs more serious structural work. In that case, you’ll need to enlist the help of a professional crane hire in Brisbane or any other Aussie city so you can have the problem fixed as quickly and efficiently as possible. As the statistics show, a new roof has a return on investment as high as 109%.
Take care of the driveway
A well-maintained, eye-catching driveway is a detail that gives your home a finished and inviting look. You have a wide choice of options for your driveway, from hardscaping with materials of different textures to softscaping with flower beds, groundcovers, shrubs and ornamental trees, which will provide a lighter visual appeal and add more colour and interest.
Neaten the landscape
Neat landscaping both at the front and back of your home can significantly raise the value of your home. A well-kept lawn, weed-free garden beds, pruned shrubs and colourful flowers will easily boost your home curb appeal. In order to avoid high costs of constantly investing in new plants, find out which plants are native to your region, as these are often drought tolerant and can last for many years. Choose plants and flowers that are resistant to harsh weather conditions and use mulch. Mulch is a great ally in gardening as it help in keeping the weed at bay, adds more colour and texture, and makes the garden look richer. Also, make sure you water your lawn and plants regularly, cover up any bare spots and keep everything neat and in order. A well-manicured landscape will make an excellent introduction to the house itself.
Fence up
Fencing up your property increases your home value for several reasons. In addition to giving it a stronger visual impact, it scores points with families with children and pets. It provides a sense of security and privacy, and a few worries less in the minds of future buyers. So, as a part of your home exterior makeover, build a fence that looks good and matches the style of your home and neighbourhood, and if you already have one, make sure it’s in excellent condition, painted and secure.
Brighten up the place
Well positioned lights on the outside of your home have a great capacity to create a pleasant and warm ambiance. Even though it’s only visible at night, it will add a lot of appeal to your home. You can use soft lights to accent the architecture of your home and highlight its best features, ground lights to spotlight trees and high shrubs, and porch lights as a warm welcome to all visitors.
All these strategies are useful and practical ways to change your home exterior and add value to it. Keep in mind that everything you do needs to be tastefully and purposefully put together in order to create a desirable appearance that will appeal not just to prospective buyers, but to you as well every time you come home after a long day’s work.
