Are Curb Appeal Problems Keeping Potential Buyers Away?

As a home seller you probably spring into action when your agent calls to set up a showing to a potential buyer. Ideally, you agree to the requested time, rearrange any plans you had, and start picking up toys, doing laundry, and cleaning your house so it’s spic and span.

But one of your great frustrations may be when that potential buyer cancels the showing, especially if you went through all the work of cleaning and prepping the house.  There are some great, logical reasons buyers cancel a showing that are completely out of your control. They include:

• The weatherman predicts bad weather that day (either snow or rain).
• The buyers decide they want a house they just saw and have no need to look further.
• The buyers find evidence, as they look at other homes, that your home is overpriced.
• The buyers decide your neighborhood is not right for them or is too long of a commute to work.

But, there are some other reasons you may want to consider, especially if this has happened several times.

Is driving by your home turning off buyers?

Ask yourself this: “What is the first impression my home gives from the road?”

This is called curb appeal, which you have probably heard of but may have not considered a serious concern. However, those last few weeks of winter can wreak havoc on your home, yard and entryway’s appearance. Mud and dirty snow combine with remnants of storm damage and downed branches, leaving your property looking unkempt and unappealing

Here are a few ways to address lost curb appeal at this time of year:

1. A welcoming front porch: The front entry of your home makes a statement about the property, and it is up to you what you want that statement to be. Start with a look at your front porch and entry as a stranger would.A premium quality exterior semi-gloss enamel will cost you about $12 to $15 a quart. Paint that old front door to add pizzazz to your entry and make it appear clean, neat, and even new. Don’t forget to sand the door before painting (just enough to remove the previous enamel’s gloss finish) or the new paint will eventually peel.Finally, sweep off dirt and grime left on your porch by old man winter.

2. New house numbers & welcome mat: Replacing the worn house numbers and the welcome mat can make a huge impact on the appearance of your entryway.  For about $18 you can get new numbers, and a welcome mat will run you about $25.

3. A neat landscape: While you can’t do much about mud or leftover dirty snow, you can pick up any fallen branches and fix anything that has been damaged or broken during the winter. Put away trash cans and shovels. Make the yard look as neat and cared for as possible.

If you are willing to invest a bit of time and energy, your home’s curb appeal should not be a reason buyers cancel seeing your home. Even in a sellers’ market, it pays to put in effort and make a good first impression. Ask your real estate professional for an unbiased opinion about how your home looks form the road.