Curb appeal is one of the most often discussed factors relating to residential real estate. But what it the meaning of this term, and is it smart to list your house without understanding curb appeal? Here is our curb appeal definition.
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Curb Appeal Meaning & The Importance of Having It
Curb appeal simply refers to how much appeal your home has from the street. Looking at the home as if standing on the curb (or driving by), how attractive is it? Are buyers going to want to stop and see the inside? Or will they keep going?
Don’t Let Your Home Be A Drive-By
The term “drive-by” is used in residential real estate, in the sense of “make sure you pay attention to boosting your curb appeal so your home is not a drive-by.” The meaning of curb appeal really is all about buyers judging a book by its cover. We know we should look further before making up our minds, but sometimes we humans just don’t work logically.
Back before so much home shopping was done online, buyers had to go out and tour homes all day. They usually had a photo or two to go on, not the in-depth interior views that they can get online.
So from the curb, a home was still kind of a mystery to buyers. When you’re out looking at homes all day (again, pre-internet), driving up to a home with an unattractive exterior could make for an easy decision to X that one off the list. Sometimes an agent could convince a buyer that it was worth stopping even though the curb appeal was non-existent, but often that wasn’t the case.
Internet Shopping + HGTV Effect
Currently, I believe it is easier for a home to overcome a lack of curb appeal than it once was. This is because buyers can see a dozen or more photos of each home for sale before they get in the car. The home may not look great from the street, for whatever reason, but they may see photos of a park-like back yard or a beautifully remodeled kitchen, so they can get past the issues that may have once stopped them from bothering to tour the home.
Also, since HGTV has become wildly popular, there is a greater percentage of the population who have gotten used to the idea of looking past a home’s issues and seeing those good bones underneath the bad cosmetics.
However, curb appeal is still the most important part of getting your home ready to sell, along with a well-staged interior.
But what exactly makes up curb appeal?
Curb Appeal Definition:
The short answer is, everything you can see when looking at your home from the street. Landscaping, condition of lawn, paint color and condition, front door, driveways and walkways, porch/front steps, windows, mailbox, house numbers, exterior light fixtures, etc.
Many of these items may seem insignificant (house numbers, really?) on their own, but they really do add up to an overall impression in a buyer’s mind. It’s only natural that buyers would be more drawn to homes that look the most attractive from the street. People want to live in a pretty house that they feel good about!
