How To Boost Your Long Island Home’s Curb Appeal: Expert

LONG ISLAND, NY — Looking to sell your home? Here are some tips on how you can make your home's curb appeal stand out in a historic sellers' market, courtesy of Weichert Realtors Performance Homes. Prospective home-buyers' attention can be caught by a beautiful yard or, on the other end of the spectrum, overgrown lawn and dirty exterior walls.

"When buyers pull up to a house, they want to be able to picture themselves living in and coming home to it," Jared Garcia of Weichert Realtors stated. "Dead grass and chipped paint can make that all the more difficult to visualize. Making sure your home is prepared - both inside and out - before you put it on the market could help it sell faster and for top dollar."

Here are a few tips to make sure your curb appeal is making the best impression on potential buyers, according to Weichert Realtors:

• Clean your house. Washing your house can add $10,000 to $15,000 to the sale price, Garcia said.

"It’s not only the inside of your home that needs to be kept clean of dirt and grime, the outside of your home should be just as spotless," Garcia said. "Clean your outer walls with soapy water and wash your windows inside and out."

• A new coat of paint. After you’ve cleaned your home’s exterior, the next step is to apply a fresh coat of paint.

"A new coat of paint is like a face-lift for your home," Garcia said. "But don’t try to make a statement with your home’s color. If your home is a wildly different color from the other homes in your neighborhood, it could negatively affect your home’s appraisal."

• A well-manicured yard. A front yard creates a home’s first impression to prospective buyers, so make sure that your lawn is green and trimmed and your shrubs and flower beds are well-tended.

"It is important to keep your yard neat, raking any fallen leaves and pulling any weeds," Garcia said. "If there is a barren tree in your front yard, cut it down and replace it with grass."

• Repair the roof. If your roof is damaged, dirty or missing shingles, it can have a negative impact on the value of your home. If your neighbors’ roofs are well maintained or have been recently replaced, it will make yours look especially ragged, according to Garcia. Sometimes a good cleaning is all you need to have your roof look like new. However, that isn’t a project you will want to take on yourself without the proper equipment; hire a professional with the right tools and training, who will be able to clean your roof without damaging it.

"By making a few simple changes to your home’s exterior, you can increase your home’s value and hopefully help it sell more quickly this spring," Weichert Realtors stated.