Whats the Secret to Making Your Northern Virginia Home Stand out from the Crowd?

We’ve all hear the term “curb appeal,” but does it really help sell
your home? Homes that look good from the street - that is, homes
with good curb appeal - should help you get a higher price and take
less time to sell. To improve your curb appeal, you don’t need to
make a bunch of renovations to the exterior of your home. We’re
talking about **regular maintenance and some extra beautifying
tasks that will go a long way. ** The question becomes which
projects will give you the best payoff? Here’s a list of what we
think is worth your time: Wash the front of your house. Before you
scrape any paint or plant more azaleas, wash the dirt, mildew, and
general grunge off the front of your house. This will help show
your house in the best light. A power washer is an ideal way to do
this, but a bucket of soapy water and a long-handle, soft bristle
brush can get the job done as well. Don’t forget to take care of
the sidewalks and driveway while you’re at it! You should also wash
your windows inside and out, wipe the cobwebs from the eaves, and
wash out your downspouts. Don’t forget to wash off your garage as
well. Freshen the paint job. After power washing or scrubbing the
front, the most commonly offered advice I share with clients is to
give the exterior of the home a good paint job. Buyers will
instantly notice it and appraisers will value it. Painting can be
an expensive and time-consuming facelift, but it is usually
well-worth the effort. Address the roof. The condition of your roof
is one of the first things buyers notice when they drive up and
that appraisers assess. Missing, faded, or curled shingles add
nothing to the look or value to the house. If your neighbors have
maintained or replaced their roofs recently, yours will look
especially shabby. If the roof is in obvious disrepair, it’s in
your best interest to bite the bullet and invest in new shingles.
“Doing these eight things will make your home stand out from the
competition” Clean up the yard. A well-manicured lawn with fresh
mulch and pruned shrubs boosts the curb appeal of any home. Replace
your overgrown bushes with leafy plants and colorful annuals,
surround bushes and trees with dark mulch to give a rich feel to
the yard, put a crisp edge on garden beds, pull the weeds and
invasive vines, and plant a few geraniums in the pots. You also
need to green up your grass with lawn food and water, cover any
bare spots with seeds and sod, and get rid of the crab grass and
mow it regularly. Add a splash of color. Even a little color
attracts and pleases the eyes of would-be buyers. Plant a tulip
border in the fall that will bloom in the spring, and dig a flower
bed by the mailbox and plant some pansies. Consider placing a
colored bench or Adirondack chair on the front porch as well. These
colorful touches won’t add to the value of your house, but
beautiful colors enhance the curb appeal and can help you sell your
house faster. Spruce up your mailbox. An upscale mailbox,
architectural house numbers, or address plaques can make your house
stand out. You can get a really nice mailbox for anywhere from
$50-150, or you can just repaint your current one and add new fresh
home numbers to it as well. Just make sure any changes you make
comply with the HOA guidelines for your neighborhood. Fence
yourself in. A picket fence with a garden gate to frame the yard is
an asset. Not only will it add visual punch to your property, but
appraisers will give extra value to a fence in great condition.
Expect to pay around $2,000-3,500 for a professionally installed
gated picket fence. If you already have a fence, make sure it is
clean and in great condition. Again, be sure to check with your
local HOA before you make any purchases. Maintenance is a must.
Nothing looks worse from the curb and sets off subconscious alarms
like hanging gutters, missing bricks, or peeling paint. Not only
can these deferred maintenance items damage your home, but they
could decrease the value of your home by as much as 10%. Doing
these things will make your house stand out from the competition,
and will help you put your best foot forward when you list your
home on the market.