What challenges most property owners is maintaining the premises. Regardless if sell or rent, you want it as attractive to prospects as possible. With so many upscale residential complexes and ultra-modern high-rises emerging on the city’s skyline every year, it’s no longer as simple for property owners to convince potential buyers or tenants to sign in for secondary real estate. In light of this, property owners should not underestimate the importance of taking good care of a property and keeping it visually attractive for both renters or buyers.
“Most of the experts suggest that kitchen and bathroom are two rooms that sell properties (there’s even a study saying which color of a bathroom is better for increasing property value). While it might be true to a certain extent, we should remember that property exterior plays a huge role too.” Oksana Tunikova, the content marketing specialist at Rentberry, a platform for seamless and transparent renting.
It’s the looks that make the first impression count. And, as we all know, first impressions are the ones can last for good. Many property owners underestimate the importance of property exterior, not to mention the many simple options for improvement.
Why Developing Property Exterior Matters?
In a word – crucial. If you were a potential buyer, what would the first thing you see be? Exactly – the property exterior. Don’t risk your sale become a victim of false assumptions you could have avoided. It would be wiser to sacrifice time to boost the margin of sale or rent.
Prospects See it First Thing During an Open House
Your property exterior is literally the first thing a prospect sees. If you don’t have a great property curb appeal and implies much to be done, then you would be lucky if your potential renters or buyers even enter the property and look it on the inside.
At the worst-case scenario, neglecting property exterior often influences both judgment and decisions of potential buyers. Don’t risk losing your advantage. You will be surprised how a bit of tradesmen maintenance and repairs or even simple home improvement can improve the initial impression your property creates. That’s where the difference in overall property value lays..
Exterior Helps Increase the Property Value
As we’ve already mentioned above, the looks can indeed help you get a better deal! The better your property looks, the better your chances of selling it/renting it out for a good price are. It’s worth being said that this principle also works vice versa: the worse your property exterior is, the smaller your chances to get the most out of the deal. Property sales simply can’t work out good for bad homeowners.
Well-Maintained Exterior Prevents Interior Damage
Another reason to back up conscientious upkeep of your house is what happens within your property. Maintaining the exterior is necessary chore that ensures protection of the entire building. If you don’t level up to responsibilities and fail to maintain properly, it will eventually cause common problems like water leaks and damp causing mold, mildew and alike. As the outside part of the property is regularly exposed to ice, snow, humidity, and rain, an exterior condition should be checked regularly and taken care of if any problems occur.
What It Means to Take Good Care of Property Exterior
By now you know how important property exterior is. Now it is time to figure out what exactly you should do to keep the exterior look good and serve as another advantage of your property. Below you’ll find the list of minor repairs that are usually enough to make your premises look more appealing to prospects:
- If the paint is in poor condition, repaint the entire property.
If the condition is good, watch out for flakes and make sure to fix them. Plenty of real estate experts agree upon the fact that a fresh coat of paint is one of the fastest and cheapest ways to breath new life into your property exterior.
- Check your landscaping situation, fix if necessary
To attract prospects, your front yard should better be well-manicured. Aside from keeping it clean, consider a reasonable amount of landscape design. If creativity is something you can boast of, then put your DIY hat on for some home improvement and experiment!
You could take advantage to the fullest! Try flowers, lighting fixtures, fences, pergolas, ponds and benches. Less effort-consuming decorations can change the aura of your property. A bit of professional advice will surely be beneficial, though. Good exterior designers know how to spruce up on details fast and on budget and all you have to do is ask.
- Think of a small garden (but don’t overthink)
When it comes to home gardens, finding a happy middle is crucial. There should be a balance between visual attractiveness and low maintenance. Unless you’re sure that all of your prospects are dedicated gardeners or passionate gardening fans (which is a rare case), be geared towards easy-to-care-for perennials and drought-tolerant plants.
- Double-check the mailbox and address number
The “devil is the detail”, and this holds true when it comes to increasing the value of your home. When prospects visit open different properties, they pay attention to every single detail such as a neglected mailbox, address number, light fixtures, and etc. Make sure inventory is in good condition. Minor repairs and replacements are something you could DIY. It’s detail that counts.
- Change the front door (or renovate the old one)
Cutting a long story short, front doors have a central role. The entrance can make or break what first impression prospects will build. Choose a door that’s a matches with the architectural style of the building and at the same time, has remarkable and unique elements (read: doesn’t look exactly the same as all the other doors in the neighborhood).
If your former tenants were renting with pets, make sure there’s no pet-related damage and remove stinky odour out. Look out for damaged carpeting, furniture marks and signs of heavy chewing.
Conclusion and takeaways:
Developing your home exterior might be costly and time-consuming, but it is absolutely worth it. Especially, if you’re planning to sell or rent out and want to increase the value of your property. Remember that all the spendings related to the outside of your property are actually investments, so there’s no need to skimp and screw.
