Amp Up Your Curb Appeal, and Attract Those Summer Buyers

Some seasons are more popular than others to put homes on the market and spring and summer are considered peak times. As homeowners have more energy to shop for their dream home during the summer, and want to move before the fall school season starts, sellers are gearing up to ready their homes to sell.

One of the steps to putting a home on the market is working on curb appeal. Real estate agents stress the importance of curb appeal because it is the first impression buyers get of your home. Another way to think of curb appeal is outdoor staging. Just as you would stage the inside of your home by cleaning it and adding streamlined furniture, the outside of your home can get updated landscaping and decorative elements. You could hire a professional to update your curb appeal, or follow some DIY tips to make a few key changes that can make a big difference.

Clean it up

As you start thinking about selling your home, you may already know that decluttering is one of the first steps to get it ready to show to potential buyers. This advice applies for the inside and outside of your home. When talking about the outside of your home, you’ll want to focus on getting rid of weeds and clutter, and removing anything that detracts from showing off details in front of your home, like picture windows, a front porch, or walkway. That means shrubs and trees will need to be trimmed. If you have grass it may need to be mowed, or bare patches filled in with rocks or mulch. You may want to add on to the landscaping you already have, or create a clean slate to bring in new elements.

Go native

If you do find that after cleaning up your yard you don’t have much green, then you’ll want to bring in new plants. When updating curb appeal to sell, keep in mind that you are creating a yard that will attract buyers — and a low-maintenance yard can be more appealing than one that requires a lot of upkeep. That’s where native plants come in. These plants will more easily acclimate to your home’s environment and will generally require less water and fertilizer. Adding native plants can also increase your home’s value. You can work with your local garden center to add native plants along a walkway, next to your front door, or to cover up your lawn’s bare patches.

Add color

Color is one way to attract buyers to your home, and not just any color. Certain colors have the power to evoke emotions, and you can use this to your advantage when updating your home’s curb appeal. For example: red adds energy, white is calming, and blue conveys trust. Painting your front door is one way to add color, or you can bring in colored pots or flowering plants. Whatever you add, you’ll want to make a plan for your yard’s color scheme before adding additional colors.

With summer curb appeal, you can have fun adding plants and colors to your yard, taking advantage of warmer weather to put in native plants and flowers. Keeping it simple with a few key elements can help buyers appreciate your home’s best qualities.