Investing in outer appearances means more than you’d expect when listing a house.
BY SHANNON MONEO
Despite what your mother told you, appearances do matter — at least if you’re planning to sell your home.
It may not be what you’d expect to focus on: Surely, most important is the quality of the interior finishings, the stability of the foundation, the longevity of the roof — right?
Maybe not.
The fact is, for that big return on investment, tending to the exterior (also known as curb appeal) is a strategic game changer in the world of real estate. So much so, the experts acknowledge doing a few simple outside upgrades can pay off even more than those elaborate inside jobs.
Forcing The Double Take
Ever take a drive down a street and get a sensation akin to sitting in the nicest park? You notice the homes are impeccable, the yards are tidy and the street just feels good. That’s curb appeal: anything you can see from a vehicle parked at the curb. Done right, it makes you want to look longer.
Now that spring has arrived, anyone preparing to sell their home, in any part of the region, should be eyeing their exterior surroundings with an unsparing look and follow it up with rapid repairs to get the biggest bang for their buck.
According to a 2020 study done by the Journal of Real Estate Finance, curb appeal can generate up to seven per cent of a home’s sale price. On a $1.5 million property, that’s $105,000 of value.
“Curb appeal is super, super important,” stresses Beth Hayhurst, a Victoria Realtor with Sotheby’s International Realty Canada. “The outside of a home is usually the first picture a buyer sees online. The first impression must compel a buyer to actually want to see the property in person.”
Today, many would-be buyers start their searches online. Once the buyer is outside the home, the exterior sets the tone even before the inside is explored.
Hayhurst, also a professional lifestyle photographer, says a buyer’s feelings and emotions when pulling up to a home will say a lot about what happens next. If the home and property look rundown or unkempt, buyers wonder, ‘What’s going on inside?’ she says.
Outside Appearances
Even though Greater Victoria is known for multiple offers on less-than magnificent properties, a seller can squeeze more out of their home’s value if they squeeze in time for outside detailing.
Hayhurst likes to do a property walk-around to advise clients of the priority jobs. It could be deferred maintenance, such as cleaning gutters and eaves, removing moss and debris from the roof, pruning hedges, trees and shrubs, weeding, power-washing decks, driveways, walkways and other exterior areas, washing windows, doors, fixtures and repairing decks and gates.
“You can do a cleanup without spending a lot of money,” Hayhurst says. “I usually recommend they work with what they have.”
Hayhurst’s top pick for improving curb appeal — or just reducing the number of folks who will turn away — is addressing a decrepit deck: fix it, replace it or remove it. As well, get the lawn looking healthy. Edge the garden and define beds. Declutter the yard. Purchase black mulch.
“[Black mulch] instantly cleans up the garden, adds definition and contains plants,” she says. “It’s my favourite item for huge impact with little cost.”
Worthwhile Beauty Marks
Lawrie Keogh has been a registered interior designer for almost 30 years and is the interior design manager with Lida Construction. In addition to an exterior cleanup, she says sometimes a fresh coat of exterior paint is worth it, particularly if the homeowner handles the labour.
Related to exterior painting is the front door. If it’s one of Victoria’s ubiquitous white doors, paint it red, blue or green.
“It makes an initial impact,” Keogh says.
Hold off on the hot pink, though. A tasteful colour with wide appeal is best at the point of selling — anything too niche and you risk deterring people with differing tastes.
The 25-year-old garage door may also be worth replacing, but ensure the new one complements the home’s current style, Keogh says. According to a 2022 Cost vs. Value study in the U.S., installing a new garage door provided the best return on investment (ROI) of a variety of home projects, at 93 per cent.
Front-entrance fixes are fab, too: new hardware, a mailbox, light fixtures and a doormat are high-impact changes, despite the ease with which anyone could do this themselves. Adding planters, hanging baskets, solar lighting or wreaths can also make a difference, but keep the style consistent with the interior.
“Extend the staging to the outside,” Keogh recommends.
The 15-Second Rule
Tammi Dimock, a Sooke-based Realtor for over 25 years, knows first impressions are crucial for home sales — even in a seller’s market.
“Within 15 seconds of arriving they [buyers] make a decision,” says Dimock, with Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty.
Dimock says buyers visualize themselves living in a home as it is right away, and their senses play a huge role in decision-making. Though it’s true some people will invest in a property they plan to renovate, it’s easier to steer the price on a turn-key situation.
“The best thing to do is declutter, clean the yard and paint,” she says. “The best things are the cheapest.”
Dimock estimates that half the homes in her market require some sort of outside sprucing up, which could be anything from adding colour to removing garbage. Conveying that message to sellers has to be handled sensitively.
“It can be a very delicate situation to ask someone to clean up,” she says.
When it comes to curb appeal, buyers can — and will — scope out neighbouring yards, and they undisputedly play a role in the realized value of your home.
“There’s not much you can do if a neighbour’s yard looks like a dump,” Dimock says. “Hoarders are out of your control. [But] it will affect your sale.”
Setting up a strategic hedge, fence or barrier to block an unsightly neighbour could help you out. However, if that’s out of your price or time range, focus on what you can.
You Deserve It
Beyond unmanageable factors, is it actually worth doing costly outdoor upgrades before selling? Hayhurst says it’s situation-dependent.
An outdoor pool, for example, may not have the best ROI at selling time — maintenance alone can be a deterrent for some — but if your own quality of life was bolstered by the pool while you lived there, that’s a value in itself. Other pricey outside undertakings with uncertain ROIs include replacing grass with turf (some don’t like it), creating outdoor living spaces and kitchens (some won’t use them), installing irrigation systems or even hardscaping — including permanent garden features, such as a fountain or firepit, or even rebuilding a crumbling driveway.
That doesn’t mean don’t do them. It just means don’t expect to drive up the price too far because you have. Like many modifications, the best time to do them is early and for yourself, rather than for potential buyers.
“For the added expense, it might not be enough to be impactful [to the selling price],” Keogh says, with one clarifying nuance. “If they [potential buyers] can say, ‘Oh, that’s done,’ that does make a significant impact.”
