Front Yard Curb Appeal Gone Wrong & How to Fix It

Cole House Design has recently attended a few fall open houses in the Halton region, and I was surprised at what we found. Although many of the homes had wonderful interiors, the outside of the houses had been neglected and or forgotten about. Although Mother Nature can sometimes throw us all a curve ball this time of year, especially here in the north, curb appeal is still very important when selling your home.

Here are some things that we found in the front yards of many homes we saw:

Although no one enjoys raking leaves...if potential buyers have to walk through piles of them to get to the front door, they may think the rest of the home has also been neglected.

When travel trailers or utility trailers are not being used, store them off-site while selling your home, not directly in front of the garage.

If a family of wasps built a nest in your front window at the end of the summer, it is definitely time to deal with it. Something as big and ugly as this one was, would just scare buyers away...period.

Although this turquoise colour is likely cheery and bright to the current homeowners, it is over the top to most buyers. Always paint trim and garage doors in neutral colours to compliment your brick or stonework, not to make them jump out.

While your house is listed, a dumpster may tell buyers that your home is under construction, that it is full of junk and you are finally getting rid of it, or that perhaps something is horribly wrong and you are dealing with it (like a flooded basement or leaky roof). It is always best to undertake clutter and construction BEFORE the house goes on the market, or take it off the market while you have necessary work completed.

If this is what greets potential buyers as they walk up to your home, they may wonder if the rest of your house is dead and lifeless as well.

Although this home had a beautiful front walkway...most buyers would only notice the dirt spread over it, the grass growing between the flagstones, and the cheap plastic chair sitting haphazardly by the driveway. Not a good first impression!

And on one final note. If potential buyers can't even see the house when they drive by...invest in a good pair of hedge clippers and trim those trees and bushes!

For more tips on curb appeal and preparing your home for sale, visit Cole House Design.

Next week we will be showing photos of what NOT to have in the backyard, while your home is on the market. Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Nicole Hurst - (President)

Phone 416-878-0338

www.colehousedesign.com

(Cole House Design provides home staging and interior decorating services to those in the Halton, Peel and Muskoka regions of Ontario.)