The Importance of Exterior Maintenance of Your Home When Marketing it For Sale

By Realty Times Published Jul 23, 2019 06:40 am Updated Jul 25, 2019 12:15 pm

For people who are looking to place their home on the market for sale, there are many important things that homeowners should focus on to make their home more sellable. One of the key elements to help ensure the marketability of a home is the home’s aesthetic appearance and whether it is in good repair.

Staging a Home for Marketability

When it comes to the interior of a home, many home sellers are accustomed to the idea that homes that are pleasing on the interior and show well will sell quicker. This an easy takeaway piece of knowledge as a tip for sellers. Statistics show that “staged” homes and homes with high care for their interior and exterior sell quicker than those homes that meet only the status quo. This is where the world of “staging” comes into play.

Staging an interior of a home involves the process of making the interior of the home look enhanced and polished. The basic task is beautifying the home to present it to look like a cutout from an interior design magazine. In most cases, it involves creating an atmosphere that looks elegant and “staged”. This process removes many personal items from the home, including some furnishings and decluttering it. The home is then accented with design accessories to make it look polished.

When it comes to the exterior of a home, “staging” would be a process of making the yard and the exterior of the home look beautified with a greater curbside appeal. While a homeowner might get concerned that this process would require a sizable financial investment, it can usually be accomplished with an investment of several hundred dollars and some sweat equity.

Improving the Home’s Exterior for a Sale

While many homeowners count on the interior of the home being the primary way to get people’s attention to buy, the exterior of the home is also one of the main factors buyers look at when considering the purchase of a home. Since exterior aesthetics are the first impression people see when looking for a new home to buy, this is should always be considered a vital selling factor. Well-kept homes on the exterior are a signal to buyer’s that shows the homeowner has cared for the overall property not just interior design.

In most cases, a yard can be beautified by general clean up and light landscaping projects. Adding some outside furnishings and creating a patio type environment can be a big plus. This is part of one of the more recent trends that has garnered a great deal of attention in homes and involves the creation of outdoor living areas. Creating a basic outdoor living space allows for buyers to visualize what it will be like to enjoy living at the home and enjoying the yard.

Basic Exterior Improvements and Maintenance

When working on creating a great outdoor living area for marketing, it is probably a good time to consider good quality pest control. Homeowners should count on for annual home insect control. Yards that appear to have a higher insect infestation can be a big deterrent to home buyers.

Additionally, clearing the yard of any debris can be essential and will reduce insect infestation problems. Most homebuyers don’t want to buy a home that is going to require extensive repairs and maintenance as soon as they move in. Yard work should be kept up with during the sales process.

Investing in treated bark mulch and a few shrubs and plantings by the entryway as well as repairing walkways can also improve the aesthetics. Another helpful investment would be the purchase a new front door or painting an existing one if needed. While this may seem insignificant, this can be an important factor for improving the overall look and exterior aesthetics of the home.