Nashville homeowners can get creative
How much does curb appeal really matter? Anecdotally, we all know that a home’s outer appearance can help you command a greater asking price and attract more potential buyers. That’s because the way a house looks at a glance can immediately communicate how well it’s been maintained.
First impressions matter. And in the case of selling your home, the most cost-effective projects in terms of recouping value are exterior projects, according to Realtor.org. At Armstrong Real Estate with Keller Williams, we can tell you from experience that Nashvillians tend to take pride in their homes’ appearance. So if yours isn’t well-maintained, that can really hurt your chances for getting the best offers.
It’s important to remember that not every project has to be a major undertaking. You don’t necessarily have to hang new gutters or repave your driveway. Sometimes, the little things you do can make a big difference. Here are five ways to make a difference that won’t break the budget:
- Paint the front door. For the cost of a gallon of paint and a Saturday morning, you can wake up a sleepy exterior and make your home stand out. If you’re not sure what color might look good, take a walk around your neighborhood. You’ll see doors in every color you can think of. Look for a hue that contrasts with the dominant color of your house — a gray door for a red brick home, a lemon yellow door on a white home, a purple door that pops against a beige home.
- Weed the beds. Maybe your gardening dreams never really panned out. Maybe you like the end results much more than doing the actual work. If that’s the case, you can easily hire someone, whether a local teenager or a professional landscaper, to weed your front garden beds. No need to even plant anything new — as long as you keep the weeds in check, your beds will look tidy and cared for.
- Mulch. Speaking of keeping weeds in check, a layer of mulch over a freshly weeded garden bed is one way to make it harder to suppress weeds as well as amp up the look of your beds. There are a lot of different mulch colors, although a dark color is most dramatic. Remember that some organic mulches are highly scented, so don’t mulch the day before an open house.
- Trim overgrown vegetation. If you do nothing more than trimming back overgrown shrubbery and trees around your entryway, you’ve won half the battle already. Make sure there are no irritating limbs, twigs or leaves encroaching on the walkway and steps. No one likes the feeling of dodging branches. Again, this is a fairly inexpensive project that can be outsourced, although you’d better stick with a professional lawn mower if you have bushes that require careful manicuring.
- Add containers. Nothing says home like some pots of bright color on your front porch. This is the perfect time of year to flowerpots of easy-care annuals. Pansies, geraniums and petunias are all fairly idiot-proof. If you’ve really got a brown thumb, buy them pre-potted at your local garden center. All you have to do then is remember to water them regularly and bring them in on cold nights.
Let us be your Nashville Realtor
Armstrong Real Estate can help you list your home and find the perfect buyer. We’re also glad to offer our expert advice on things like curb appeal and home www. We’ll guide you through every step of the selling process and help you find a new home as well.
When you’re ready to add your home to the new listings in Nashville and Middle Tennessee, just give us a call at (615) 807-0579 or email us at sales@armstrongrealestate.com. We can’t wait to hear from you!
