Dear Claire: What is ‘Curb Appeal?’

The Importance of First Impressions: Understanding Curb Appeal in Home Selling

Today I’m standing out in front of my Mom’s house, which doesn’t have sidewalks. There’s no curbs, literally, so you can see how it just kind of looks a little bit unfinished. What do we mean by this when we say, ‘curb appeal?’ Literally, what we’re talking about is that if you’re looking at the street as you come up to a house, whether you’re a buyer with a small budget or a big budget, is that what you really care about is what the house looks like when you drive up to it.

I actually challenge some of my sellers to take pictures of their properties, especially when they’re thinking about listing. You need to look at the home in a picture and see what it looks like. This is because you may become immune to what your house looks like in front. And sometimes you’re like, “Oh well, I totally didn’t realize that the rose bush has totally taken over the entire yard or, you know, my grass has a lot of clover in it,” or any of those things.

You’re going to want to look for details that need to be taken care of that are easy to remedy. Clearly, the street where my Mom lives can’t do that because it doesn’t have sidewalks and curbs. That’s obviously something that’s not going to be fixed tomorrow.

However, can you trim the rose bush? Of course you can, and of course you can paint your door some really hip color or clean the moss off your roof or any of those small things that’ll really make a difference in the way your house looks when you’re driving up to it. And if for nobody else other than yourself, you can walk up and feel pleasure and what your house looks from the front. So that’s what curb appeal is. Because you’ve watched all those HGTV shows, it is worth money to you. If you’re selling your property, you care what it looks like from the exterior because it’s the first impression and makes a big difference to buyers. Of course, it’s always something that ebbs and flows. If you’re selling your house, you’re going to pay attention to it. If you owned it for 20 years, just take a fresh look and see if there’s anything you want to change.

As always, please feel free to reach out and comment below. Any other questions you want me to take on. I love talking about this stuff and getting out of the office and looking at things on the street. So, we’ll see you next time. Take care.

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