The importance of curb appeal

As we continue to work on the inside of the house, several friends have mentioned that we should go ahead and place a "For Sale by Owner" sign in the front yard to possibly generate some interest in the house. I'm not entirely comfortable with doing that at this point, at least until we do some cleanup work on the outside of the house. I'm probably just over thinking this as it's really only a sign in the yard. What damage could the sign do? Well, I say plenty! If the house is for sale too long, the property appears "stale" and buyers are less likely to show interest. We also have less of a chance of getting the price we are asking. While this is probably an extreme thought considering we were going to start the landscaping in about a week or so, it's still a thought in the back of my mind. Guess we'll go ahead and buy a sign this weekend.

The plans for the outside of the house will have to wait until next weekend, at least in the painting department. The weather calls for thunderstorms all weekend. We intend to paint the shutters, front porch and back porch. The yard will need some new mulch and a few new plants. As you can see, the roof needs some attention but the landscaping overall looks pretty good. The roof should be re-shingled within the next week or so. We're going to trim the bushes down some and plant some flowery plants. The daylilies aren't blooming fully but are full of promising buds.

Curb appeal is very important because it can make or break the sale in the sense that a potential buyer might not even stop at your house due to the appearance on the outside. The inside may be breathtaking but it won't matter if they never stop. It's important to have a trimmed lawn, tidy landscaping and a fresh, clean exterior. I intend to begin the painting portion of the exterior next weekend provided that the weather is more promising.

I feel confident that we bought a beautiful house in a great neighborhood. One key benefit for us is that our house is in a golf course community. That should generate some interest but it will be interesting to see how this plays out in a market that is flooded right now. Hopefully the added features we have in this house will create a fast sell and some cash for us.