This is a definitive case for the misnomer curb appeal. It is commonly accepted, and for good reason, that three things contribute to the sale of a home. Obviously, the price is a powerful condition of sale. You control your listing price. Are you priced under, at, or over the market? Since you have no control over your neighbors listing price, if your neighbor lists substantially under the market, his house will sell first. That assumes all other conditions are equal. Location is another powerful selling consideration. Understand that your house is where it is. You have no control over its location. Period. Your cant move it to a new or different location. You relinquished that control when you bought the house. What, then, can you control? You have absolute control over the condition of your house. Not just the condition of the house by your standards, but by the generally accepted standards of the residential market. And your goal should be to exceed those generally accepted standards. You want the condition of your house to be better than comparable houses. You must ask yourself honestly, is my house caviar or catfish? So, what about this curb appeal thing? Curb appeal is a term used historically to describe that first drive-up impression. That impression is designed to make buyers want to see more, that is, the inside. When I said that curb appeal was a misnomer, I meant that it has little value if the buyer opens the front door of your house, sees catfish instead of caviar and says, yuk!. So, curb appeal actually extends beyond the curb and into the nooks and crannies of your house. Perhaps, we should call it the total appeal impression instead of just curb appeal. Not only is the total appeal approach more appealing on the surface, but it implies something much more important. For example, if you look at two pre-owned cars and one is spotless and shiny and the other one is dirty and chipped, you assume that the first one has been better maintained in all aspects. Not necessarily true, but a likely assumption. The same can be said for a house with great total appeal. How many times have you heard, first impressions are lasting impressions? You want to leave your potential buyer with a great first impression compared to your competition, the other houses on the market. You are competing for the same buyers. Take a step back and look at your house as a buyer would see it as he walked from his car up to the front entrance, into the house, and through it for the first time. Are you seeing caviar or catfish? If youre not seeing caviar, its time to trim it, repair it, clean it, paint it. Chances are your competition is doing these things to his house as you read this. |
