How Curb Appeal Affects Your Home
Humans are a sensory species, by and large. While we use all our senses at varying times throughout our lives, the sense we tend to rely on the most is that of sight. Because of that, we tend to be drawn to things that appeal to us visually, and this is certainly true when it comes to the selection of our home. The bottom line is, if it’s not visually appealing on the outside first, a buyer won’t be inspired to take a look at the inside of the home.
That said, there's a distinction between sales price and appraised value. Appraisers do consider home amenities but don't really take flowers and wreaths into account when doing a property appraisal. The listing price set by you and a Realtor might involve "staging" or more superficial appearance changes. The appraised value can be dependent on substantive updates that bring the home in line with other valuable properties in the area. Optimally, shoot for both.
Beautification may add curbside or other appeal and affect price negotiation slightly and affect how fast the house sells. Substantive changes to amenities could have an impact on actual appraised value. Landscaping is one such example of something that could have an impact on appraised value. A home’s landscaping that has been carefully planned and executed will go a long way towards enhancing that all-important curb appeal and the overall appraised value of your home.
If you want to improve your Amarillo area home’s value AND optimal listing price:
Be Modern, Be Fresh:
While most people often immediately think about trees and other greenery when it comes to landscaping, you also need to consider other decorative features such as fencing, sidewalk lighting and other such features. You gain little by maintaining the exact same landscaping as you have for the last several years. Try and maintain the same contemporary style as the other yards in your neighborhood; this will draw people to your home, as they will feel your home has the same sort of modern appeal as others in the area. Look at installing solar lights along the sidewalk, resodding the front yard if need be, and upgrading the outdoor hardware for your home – whatever you need to do to update your home’s exterior appearance.
Free Ride:
If you’re able to, choose a landscaping design where you need very little water. The Amarillo climate is fairly dry and not known for its humidity. If you choose landscaping with many watering requirements, you may see your water bill climb a fair bit. Why not look for landscaping where you are focusing on cool metals and rock formations? You will save yourself a lot of money in the long run on your water bill and it will also save you a lot of maintenance time.
Save Energy:
Being environmentally friendly is the latest buzzword and nowhere is this more true than determining how to conserve energy expenditures on your home. You should work towards trying to place your landscaping features in such a way that you are able to block the sun to keep your home cool in Amarillo’s relatively warm yearly climate. You likely do not want to keep your air conditioning unit running at all hours every day, so why not choose your landscaping features wisely and choose taller bushes or junipers, for instance, in order to save your air conditioner some wear and tear?
Whether you upgrade your hardware, clean up the weeds and integrate some rock features for your yard, or choose taller natural features to spruce up your property, all of these suggestions can go a long way to improving your home’s overall value and, where it brings the property into an appearance commensurate with other homes in the neighborhood, it can ensure a better appraised value. Even if you’re not looking at selling your home right away, you can enjoy some peace of mind knowing you have made your home as beautiful outside as it is on the inside – and added value to it as well.