“Curb appeal tips” and “tips on selling a home” are frequently searched on google- most likely by homeowners looking for advice on how to sell their homes which just can’t seem to get off the market. So, we’ve created Selling your home: it’s all about the curb appeal [Version 2.0], now with more curb appeal tips and helpful insight from Montreal-based real-estate broker, Shanna Garneau, to pinpoint what you’re doing wrong and how to help you sell your home quicker.
It can be frustrating when you’re trying to sell your house and after months, there’s still little to no interest from serious buyers. You’ve even done what most people selling their house do and you’ve renovated your outdated kitchen and bathroom in the hopes of increasing property value and attracting potential buyers. So, why aren’t people flocking to visit your house like you imagined? The answer is simple: you neglected the importance of your home’s curb appeal.
What’s curb appeal and what does it have to do with selling my house, anyway?
Curb appeal is how your house looks from the outside- its exterior appearance. Curb appeal is what forms a buyer’s first impression of your house and here’s the truth: you can spend thousands of dollars on pricey renovations, but if potential buyers aren’t impressed with what they see on the outside, they won’t care what the inside looks like. When it comes to buying a house, people do judge a book by its cover. The curb appeal of your home should serve as an indication of what’s awaiting on the inside! Powdered siding and generic white doors and windows on the outside definitely don’t scream new counter-tops and shiny fixtures on the inside.
In the digital age, neglecting curb appeal can mean your online listing won’t get views
From searching for directions to paying our bills, now-a-day we practically do everything online. Looking for a home is no exception. “In 2016, people are shopping online first, and in most cases, the cover picture of the listing is a picture of the exterior, so if the exterior doesn’t spark that buyer’s curiosity, they might just click NEXT without even looking at the rest of your listing,” explains Shanna. Check the analytics of your listing and see how many clicks you’ve been getting. If you’re shocked that your home -with new renovations and all- isn’t getting the views you expected, it could just be that people are judging your home by your cover picture. In other words, they aren’t digging the look of the exterior. An exterior renovation doesn’t have to mean an expensive project that will take weeks on end. “My goal as a real estate broker is to educate my clients as much as I possibly can, and unfortunately not many people know that they can give a house a much needed facelift as easily and affordably as they can with Spray-Net,” says Shanna.
A lacklustre exterior appearance can mean having to work to convince buyers to check our your home
When we asked Shanna if it was common for her to have to convince clients to see a house that has an outdated exterior but great interior renovations, the real-estate professional confirms “Absolutely! The exterior of the home is a huge factor when it comes to deciding which home you will finally call your own. Your house is supposed to reflect you and its exterior is its first impression. Buyers want to show off the biggest investment of their lives to friends and family and they want everyone to be “wowed” at first glance – which means having a fresh-looking exterior.” When it comes to revamping an exterior to really impress buyers, a noticeably repainted look just won’t cut it. Taking on exterior painting as a do-it-yourself project can result in a streaky-finish that requires maintenance 2 to 3 years down the line… and for many buyers, there’s nothing worse than a home that requires more yearly maintenance. Shanna explains that there’s a difference between “updating and updating with QUALITY materials. Anyone can paint their front door, but the seller who paints their front door with a quality coating, like the ones Spray-Net uses, will definitely see a better return on their investment.”
How to boost your home’s curb appeal with our permanent exterior paint solution
We do things differently when it comes to exterior painting. When homeowners change their perfectly functional siding, doors and windows, they essentially want to give their home a brand-new look. We’ve taken the process of factory painting and we’ve optimized it for exterior spray application so you can get that permanent, factory finish that looks just like-new without having to change everything. For homeowners looking to sell their home, this means a quick, affordable and quality renovation that will boost their home’s curb appeal and attract those buyers!
Paint your exterior siding:
Siding covers your entire house, and there’s nothing that can ruin curb appeal more than faded, powdered and weathered siding. Bold colours like burgundy and navy are great, but remember that not everyone’s tastes are the same. When it comes to painting your aluminum or vinyl siding, it’s best to stay with safe (yet still trendy) colours like earth tones and greys.
Paint your Windows:
One of the easiest ways to boost curb appeal is to paint and accentuate your windows, one of your home’s best features. Showcase your windows by painting them in a contrasting colour. Darker colours, like black, brown and grey, are popular choices because they’re easily noticeable from the curb.
Paint Your Garage Doors:
Your garage doors cover a good portion of your home’s façade, so don’t ignore them! There’s no one “right” way to paint your garage doors: you can match your front and garage doors, or if you’re using a pop of colour for your front door, paint your garage doors to blend in with your siding and the rest of your home.
Paint Your Front Door:
Your front door is where you can add a punch of personality to your home since it’s one of the first things people see. One option is to paint your door in a dark colour (like black, brown or grey) to contrast your siding. Matching front and garage doors, along with windows will create a classic, put-together look. You can also paint your front door in a statement-making bold colour like yellow, blue or red. Some might be thrown off by this, but at the same time, it can result in a BIG pay-off amongst the more fashion-forward buyer. No matter the colour, remember to upgrade hardware for maximum curb appeal.
Paint your Stucco:
Stucco can be stunning, but definitely not when it’s covered in unsightly stains. You can either re-fresh the existing colour of your stucco so it looks just like-new, or you can opt for a popular colour like grey, which come in a ton of both light and dark shades.
Stain your Brick:
When it comes to revamping and updating the colour of your brick, you definitely want to go the staining route. Read more about why you should stain and not paint brick here. Thanks to the latest technology, brick stains come in a variety of different colours (even black) so you can pull off any exterior colour scheme you have in mind.
Time is money, and if your house has been on the market for some time, you’ll need a quick way to boost curb appeal and get your house back up for viewing! Using our industrial-strength coatings and specialized spray equipment, we can provide you with a permanent factory finish that won’t peel and looks just like-new. And here’s something to tell prospective buyers: the work we carry out is backed by a 15-year warranty that’s completely transferable when you sell your home! So, here’s the big take-away: people judge a book by its cover and your home and its beautiful interior renovations can unfortunately get overlooked simply because of an outdated exterior.
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