Curb Appeal Helps Homes Sell Faster

Curb appeal is essential. You've heard it before - first impression is everything. If a home doesn't draw a prospective buyer in from the start, it's going to be that much harder to make them fall in love and make an offer.Valerie Torelli was recently quoted in Houselogic about curb appeal. She gave proven tips like:-Painting a house or powerwashing it. The "goal is to spend less than $5,000, with a goal of generating an extra $10,000 to $15,000 on the sale price."-Landscaping with leafy plants and filling in bare patches with bark (a simple job could be as little as $30-$50).-A nice mailbox or architectural house numbers as a finished look to the homepicture of home with good curb appealMany other agents around the county used the blog to educate clients in their market about the importance of curb appeal. Here's what some of them said:-Rolando Trentini in Evansville, Indiana: "Curb appeal is very important in our market as many times the first impression is the most important one. We are fortunately not doing too bad in our area. South West Indiana is sheltered from the "national" trend so our increases and decreases are not so high or as damaging. We do however stress to our sellers that curb appeal is a must if they want to sell their home fast."-Steve Melnick with Realty World in Colorado: What are the main things you suggest to the clients in your market with regards to curb appeal? "Fresh paint, and a manicured lawn"-Karen Stephens in Memphis, TN: 1.  First impressions are paramount in selling a home.  Since most first impressions are formed within 30 seconds of pulling up to the home, I always recommend the lawn be cleaned (removing any debris, i.e., dead tree limbs, pine cones, leaves),fertilized, mowed and manicured.  This includes all shrubs and trees.  If it is in the warm seasons of the year, I always recommend to plant colorful annuals (with fresh mulch)  and/or placing flower pots with colorful flowers close to the door or walking up to the home.  Also, remove all toys, lawn equipment or any extra items from the lawn. 2.  Power wash exterior of home, including trim, roof, brick, and driveway. 3.  Front door should be cleaned and restained or painted.  If there is a fence or any outdoor structures, these should be repaired and/or painted.  Special attention should be paid to cracked sidewalks and driveways.Have you given your home a curb appeal makeover? Send your pictures to holly@torellirealty.com for possible inclusion in a future blog or on our Facebook page. If you have questions about how to improve your curb appeal, please email us for advice.About Torelli Realty: Torelli Realty is proud to represent Costa Mesa real estate. We’ve been meeting the needs of Costa Mesa home buyers & sellers since 1984. Torelli Realty deals with Costa Mesa homes, Costa Mesa apartments, Costa Mesa rentals, Costa Mesa property management, and offers home improvement and home staging tips to help your home’s value throughout Costa Mesa and in Mesa Verde. We also have an expert on staff, Holly Schwartz, who came to us as a producer from Home and Garden Television (HGTV) and extensively studied the most effective home staging techniques, as well as home values and markets locally and nationally. Torelli Realty is also an expert in Costa Mesa short sales and Orange County short sales. Feel free to contact Torelli Realty for a consultation and for all your real estate needs.WEBSITESHORT SALE WEBSITETWITTER  – FACEBOOK - COMPANY BLOG - 365 THINGS TO DO IN COSTA MESACompany License #: 00878443 – Valerie Torelli License #: 00668297