Get Top-Dollar For Your Home With These Curb Appeal Tips
Plenty of homeowners, eyeing the extremely favorable conditions for sellers in the current housing market, are finally considering staking a ‘For Sale’ sign in their front yard. While home prices are high and sellers are almost guaranteed to sell favorably, any top real estate agent would recommend some simple renovation projects in order to get the very best price on any home.
When considering what home improvement projects to tackle, owners would be remiss to ignore curb appeal. Homes that dazzle from the outside keep the neighbors happy, ensure neighborhood home prices stay high, and leave buyers with a stellar first impression of the property.
In fact, many potential buyers will do a drive-by of the property before requesting a viewing. For homeowners targeting a 2022 home sale, the importance of strong curb appeal cannot be overstated. Keep reading to see what outdoor home improvement projects will have buyers knocking on your door!
Projects with the best ROI
According to HomeLight’s Top Agent Insights for New Year 2022, buyers will pay on average about 7% more for a home with excellent curb appeal versus homes with a neglected interior. While agents recommend spending about $3,467 on curb appeal projects prior to listing their home, the result will yield around $11,718 in resale value — that’s a 238% return on investment!
Basic yard care and applying fresh mulch will yield the highest ROI collectively, increasing the value of your home by $4,500. This is a huge value added to your home despite the relatively low costs.
In addition, installing a new garage door, painting your home’s exterior, and upgrading your landscaping with a new walkway, flower bed, and shrubs all result in extremely high returns on investments.
The lure of adding a new front porch
Thanks to COVID-19, front porches are back in style. After nationwide stay-at-home orders and lockdown restrictions, the thought of being able to step out on the front porch with a cup of coffee or afternoon wine is more appealing than ever.
Not to mention, front porches serve as a nice architectural detail that impressed buyers long before the pandemic ever began, however, the value of a front porch has certainly increased after the COVID-19 pandemic. Top real estate agents estimate that the dollar amount a front porch adds to a home has increased by 61% since March of 2020, from $3,526 to $5,686.
Inexpensive curb appeal for those on a tight budget
When searching for a new home, buyers oftentimes make their decision the minute they pull into the driveway. Even without the budget for big-ticket items, you’ll still want to devote some time and energy to update your curb appeal.
If you don’t have the money to repaint your entire home, try just giving your front door a new coat of paint. If you don’t have the budget for a new walkway or garage door, simply mow the lawn and plant some colorful flowers. You can also purchase prominent house numbers and a new mailbox for your property. While these are small investments, they’ll go a long way in impressing buyers.
