Ask Harry · Selling Your Home
How much does curb appeal matter?
Short answer
It’s the first impression every buyer gets when they pull up out front, and it frames everything they see inside.
Full answer
Two points of view
I look at curb appeal from two points of view.
Online curb appeal
One is what I call online curb appeal and that’s really about the pictures and the staging and all the prep inside the house and the professional photography/videography.
Traditional curb appeal
Then there’s the traditional curb appeal, which is how the house looks when you drive up to the front.
Buyers form a first impression of a home from the street, often before they are through the front door. That impression colors everything they see inside, whether they realize it or not.
The good news is that curb appeal is not about spending a fortune on landscaping. It is about the home looking loved: a tidy yard, a clean walkway, a front door that looks cared for, windows that are not dirty.
Neglect shows up the same way, and it is expensive. A home that looks tired from the street makes buyers wonder what else has been let go, and that doubt follows them through the front door.
We can walk the house together and build a short, honest list of what is worth doing and what is not. Most sellers are surprised by how little it takes.
The first impression
What buyers see before the door
The approach
The walkway, the porch, and the front door are the handshake. Clean, clear, and cared for sets a positive tone.
The yard
Mowed grass, trimmed edges, and tidy beds signal maintenance. You do not need a landscape redesign, you need the home to look tended.
The details
House numbers, light fixtures, the mailbox, the door hardware. Small things buyers notice and file away.
Low-cost wins
The fixes that go furthest
A fresh coat of paint on the front door, a cleaned walkway, trimmed shrubs, fresh mulch, and tidy planters are all low-cost moves that photograph well and read clearly. Pressure washing the siding and walkways is one of the highest-impact, lowest-cost improvements available. The goal is a home that looks ready, because buyers translate ready into value.
The order of operations
Why it matters before showings
Most people focus on the inside of the house, and that’s important, but don’t forget about the outside, because buyers often decide at the curb whether the home has potential for them or not.
In plain terms
The way I like to explain it
Curb appeal is like dressing your house for a job interview. It will not get you the job on its own, but the wrong look can cost you the job before you even say a word. The Home is the candidate and the Street is where the interview starts.
Putting it to work
What this means when you're selling
Before you spend on anything else, take a walk to the curb and look at the home the way a buyer would. Fix the obvious, clean the approach, and make the front door inviting. It is the cheapest marketing you will do, and it sets up everything that follows. If you are not sure where to start, a walkthrough with a local agent is a fast way to build the list.
As you’re thinking about what to do don’t forget to take a walk to the curb and look at the home the way a buyer would when they pull up out front.
Ask Harry
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