The Top Six Ways to Improve Curb Appeal and Sell Your House

As you are probably already aware today's real estate market is highly competitive. Your house needs to capture the attention of potential buyers and virtually scream "BUY ME" to them in order to sell. Your house is likely competing with many others in the same area so it has to stand out to be noticed. Rising like cream to the top requires you to know a few things about staging your home and curb appeal. This article will focus on curb appeal, because after all this is the most important step in getting potential buyers attracted to your home.

Curb appeal is that special something, that first impression that someone gets when they look at your home as they pull up on the road. Your first impression is the most valuable and the most difficult to change so it is vital that you get this right. Here are the top seven ways you can improve your home's curb appeal and get that house sold:

1. The first and most obvious way to improve your curb appeal is simply to clean up your yard. Make sure there is no trash in the yard including anything from old car parts to stray pop cans. Be sure to weed any planters and keep your lawn mowed and trimmed. This may sound like obvious advice, but you would be surprised at home many sellers miss this important point.

2. The front door. The front door is what welcomes friends and family into your home. It needs to be both attractive and safe. A recent study by a door manufacturer suggested that upgrading your entry door could raise your home's perceived value by as much as $8000. If you can afford a new entry door at least make sure your door is painted an attractive color and is clean with no stains, chipped paint, etc.

3. Take care of the landscaping. This doesn't have to be exotic, but taking the time to plant some flowers, get rid of overgrown trees and trim your bushes can greatly increase your curb appeal.

4. Update your exterior hardware. New house number and door latches can really add to a polished look for the exterior of your home. Making sure your house number is readable also helps potential buyers to find your home.

5. New windows. If your windows are old, weathered or inefficient it will be a huge turn off to potential buyers. Consider getting new windows, or at least repaint the trim and give the windows a good old-fashioned cleaning.

6. A new roof. This is a big selling point. A complete tear-off and re-roofing may be a big job requiring either a bigger expense or more labor; it will really pay off in the end. Not replacing the roof could very well mean not selling your house.

There you have the top six ways to improve curb appeal and sell your house. You may or may not need to do all six, but keep in mind that every little bit helps in today's competitive real estate market.