Curb appeal fixes to make before you list

Buyers decide how they feel about a house before they ever walk in the door. They see the listing photos first, then they pull into the driveway. As a REALTOR® who’s also a garden designer, I think the outside of a home is the easiest place to make a big difference without spending much.

Here are the fixes I suggest before a home goes on the market.

Clean up the beds

Pull weeds, cut back anything overgrown and rake out old leaves. Then put down fresh mulch. Two or three inches of dark mulch makes a yard look cared for almost instantly.

Trim shrubs away from the house

Overgrown shrubs hide windows and make a house look smaller. Trim them so they sit below the windowsills and stay a few inches off the siding.

Edge everything

A crisp edge along the driveway, walkway and beds is one of the cheapest things you can do, and it shows up beautifully in photos.

Put color by the front door

Two full planters by the door give buyers somewhere to look and make the entry feel welcoming. In fall and winter in coastal North Carolina, pansies, kale and grasses look good for months.

Wash and touch up

Pressure wash the walkway, driveway and front steps. Wipe down the front door and touch up the paint if it’s faded. Make sure the house numbers are easy to read from the street.

Mind the lawn

Mow the week the photos are taken and again before showings. Fill bare patches if you have time. If not, a clean edge and fresh mulch draw the eye away from them.

Turn on the lights

Replace burned-out porch bulbs and make sure the path is lit. Many buyers drive by in the evening, and some showings happen after dark.

What’s your home worth?

Thinking about selling? I’ll put together a free home value report from recent sales near you, plus a curb appeal plan with the yard fixes worth doing first for your home. Call or text me at 910-599-0325.

Kimberly Keech, REALTOR®, Blue Atlantic Properties LLC