Spring Cleaning for Curb Appeal

Sprucing up your outdoor space can make a big difference in how quickly your home sells during the busy spring selling season.  As more homes are listed, flooding the market with available inventory, it’s more important than ever to catch the right buyer’s eye with these smart tips for great curb appeal:

Clear Away the Winter Grime

First thing’s first:  clean every outdoor surface until it shines.  Blow away the leaves and debris that might have accumulated over winter, wipe away the dirt (and pollen) from glass surfaces, and pay your lawn some much needed attention with a close cut and some spring fertilizer/weed killer.

A Seamless Transition

While the weather in Metro Atlanta is still moderately cool, open windows and doors for showings, inviting in the spring breeze.  If opening them isn’t an option because the pollen count is just too high, at least open the blinds and the curtains, letting in all the natural light available.  You can also use similar flooring from inside to out, and it’s a great idea, if the budget allows, to install French or sliding doors opening to outdoor spaces.

Gadgets Count

Today, outdoor spaces are living spaces, and buyers are looking for ready-made outdoor “rooms” where they can listen to music, access WiFi, and even watch TV.  Pre-wire your outdoor spaces.  It’ll be a huge selling feature, especially for millennial buyers. 

Comfort is Everything

Outdoor furniture is no longer rusty metal or concrete.  Today, your options range from wicker to glossy metal to distressed wood or fashionable, long-wearing plastics.  Sets come in every color and can be covered with comfy pillows and cushions.  Complete the look with an indoor-outdoor rug, and your outdoor space will be just as inviting as your living room inside.

Lighting Says Volumes

For showings that run late, outdoor lighting is a must.  Solar lamps along walkways are a great starting point, and it’s a good idea to update lighting on the back side of your home, too.  Often, backyard lighting is an afterthought, accomplished with inexpensive fixtures because more people will see the front door, so that’s where the money is spent.  It’s important to show spring buyers that your outdoor space is cared for, too, even when the sun goes down.

Special Outdoor Features

Create a “Wow” factor in your home’s backyard by adding a covered porch, a pergola, a water feature, or a fire pit. Although a backyard remodel can get pricey, outdoor living spaces are a huge selling point and can pay off in terms of an earlier sale or a higher selling price.  Go big with an outdoor kitchen or keep it small with a modest fire pit; build something that buyers will remember and can imagine themselves using with family and friends.

Following these tips will make your home stand out from all the others newly on the market this spring, hopefully bringing in more offers and a higher selling price. Make it memorable, comfortable, clean, and tech-savvy – an outdoor space with style and function.

Peggy Slappey Properties, Inc. is a Metro Atlanta real estate brokerage with over 30 years of experience in real estate sales and marketing.  From new home construction to resales, we can help you find the home of your dreams.  To see our current listings, visit www.psponline.com and call us for expert advice at 770-271-5555.  Keep up to date with the latest PSP events and offers by checking in on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/peggyslappeyproperties and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/psponline.