Let Curb Appeal Seal the Deal
With worries over housing values falling, and buyers more cautious than ever in light of staggeringly high Florida mortgage costs, a greater level of attention might now be focused on a certain overlooked aspect of selling a home:
Curb appeal.
Most homeowners instinctively divert their attention to the interior, thinking buyers will warm up to neutral colors, updated appliances and spic-and-span closets and floors.
But if the outside looks so-so, buyers and their Florida real estate agents may turn up their noses and move on to the next property. At this point, well-appointed and tasteful interiors are a moot point.
“If we lose them at the curb, they’ll [buyers] never come inside,” real estate agent David Montz said. “If the buyer already has a negative feeling, it’s going to affect how they feel about the house.”
And in many cities where time-on-market can drag on for more than 90 days - a fact of life in much of the Florida housing market for about a year - area homeowners can actually gain a competitive edge by paying close attention to the external factors buyers may find pleasing.
Depending on the condition of your home, you may spend from a few hundred dollars to several thousands to bring your exterior up to date - which will pay off in spades.
After all, to the discerning Florida home mortgage applicant in today’s buyers market, that can be the difference between walking in the door and driving right on by.
Routine improvements you can perform quickly and cheaply include a fresh coat of paint to siding and doors, power washing the exterior or filling cracks in the driveway and walks. You can continue your “outdoor” home staging by refreshing the landscape with fertilizer, plant fresh flowers or potted plants. Railings should also feel snug and secure.
Some homes might need significant investment to overcome visual eyesores that could give buyers cold feet. New windows, siding, and brickwork can be costly but effective. Now, such repairs may require a Florida home improvement loan, but that’s money well spent.
Oh, and don’t overlook your roof. The roof accounts for 40-60 percent of the exterior view of your home. Buckled, warped or cracked shingles are turnoffs for buyers.
“Buyers will perceive there’s something different about the house,” said Whatley Bush of MonierLifetile, an Atlanta maker of faux wood shakes, slate and tiles made of concrete.
But those costs are recoverable. In many cases, manifold. According to the National Association of Realtors Value of Housing Characteristics study, the look of a slate or cedar shake roof can add up to 27 percent to the selling price of a home.
After years of giving short shrift to exteriors, home sellers in the super-competitive sales market in suburban Chicago have been jolted to the fact the outside of a home is important.
Homeimprovement contractor Robert McDowell of McDowell Exterior Builders in St. Charles, Ill., says sellers “need to freshen up the exterior and make it current with today’s styles.”
“My guess is the majority puts more energy into the interior,” McDowell said. “But people have to have both a marketable home interior and a marketable exterior in today’s selling environment. You can’t get someone through the front door if they don’t like the outside of your house.”
