Before listing your home in the competitive Birmingham market, you’ll want to do some things to improve its curb appeal. After all, the exterior of your home is the first thing that potential buyers will see – it will form their first impressions of the property and will impact the number of showings you get. 

While there are lots of things you can do to improve curb appeal, obviously you can’t spend the time or money necessary to do all of them. Instead, you want to be strategic about the things that you tackle. Here are some of the most important things you can do to improve your home’s curb appeal and to attract buyers. 

Clean Up and Improve Landscaping

As a basic part of curb appeal, you’ll want to keep your yard neatly mowed, weeded, and trimmed before listing it and while it’s on the market. Additionally, you’ll want to trim and prune any shrubs or bushes. These landscape features are intended to accent your home, so it’s important to make sure that they’re well cared for and not hiding your home. As part of this maintenance, you’ll want to clear out any dead or overgrown limbs in your yard. 

To further improve your landscaping, consider adding a border to any flower beds and installing outdoor lighting. These are some simple steps to help clean up your yard and to help enhance the overall look of your home. 

Clean Up the Gutters and Roof

Buyers pay attention to roofs as they can lead to major maintenance issues and expenses. Given the focus buyers will give it, it’s important to have your roof looking clean and well-maintained. Remove any debris, such as limbs and leaves, from the roof and clean off any moss or algae. To help give a good impression, it’s also important to make sure that gutters are clean and in good condition. These simple steps will help to make your roof and home look well-maintained and cared for. 

Pressure Wash Walkways, Patios, and Driveways

Outdoor spaces are always important to buyers, but they’re especially important in Birmingham where the warm climate gives ample opportunities for homeowners to be outdoors much of the year. As a result, you want to make outdoor spaces look inviting. A first step towards doing this is pressure washing walkways, patios, and drives. In addition to a thorough cleaning, you might want to consider adding some furniture or bright plants. All of this will help to make your outdoor spaces inviting for buyers and your property more inviting. 

Paint the Exterior

Painting the exterior of your home is expensive, but if the paint is not in good shape or if the color scheme is dated, it can be worth it. Fresh paint and inviting colors can help to give your home a fresh look. If you want to brighten things up without painting the entire exterior, consider just painting the trim, which will still help to brighten things up a bit. If you do decide to paint, make sure that you choose a strong color scheme. You might even want to work with a color consultant to make sure you’re maximizing the impact and appeal to local buyers. 

Get Rid of Any Clutter 

An easy but important part of improving your home’s curb appeal is getting rid of any clutter. This means making sure that things like bikes, trash cans, and yard equipment are not visible to buyers. You’ll also want to walk the exterior of your home and remove anything from your yard that shouldn’t be there, for example, branches, dog waste, toys, or any trash or debris. Finally, minimize clutter by making sure that there is a limited amount of outdoor furniture and pots. Some simple decluttering is a simple but important part of preparing your home for the market. 

Clean the Windows

Your home’s windows stand out and are something that buyers will pay attention to, so you want to make sure that they’re in good condition and clean. Before listing, clean the windows, indoors and outdoors. Doing so will help to make your home look brighter and cleaner. 

Focus on the Entry

The entryway is where buyers’ eyes will immediately go and the first encounter buyers will have during showings. Given its importance, it’s a good idea to spend some extra time preparing the entryway. Clean the front door well and consider adding a couple of coats of paint to make it stand out. You’ll also want to get rid of anything on the front porch except for maybe a potted plant or two. Finally, make sure any light fixtures are clean and in good condition. If the fixtures are dated, it’s a good idea to replace them so buyers don’t start with the impression that your home is outdated. Your home’s entry plays a key role in its curb appeal, so it’s worth some extra attention. 

Before putting your Birmingham home on the market, it’s important to take some time to make sure that it has good curb appeal and will attract buyers. While the necessary work can seem overwhelming, the good news is that there are easier ways to sell your home. If you don’t want to take the time and money required to list it, you can always sell it directly to Home Buyers Birmingham. They offer an easy way to sell your house as-is for cash and can help you avoid the time, angst, hoping, and waiting that is so often part of selling your home. Contact their team to learn more about this easy and quick solution.