Many people say they know curb appeal is, but not a lot of people know how it works.
I can’t tell you how many times I have pulled up in front of a property with a perspective Buyer and had them say:
“Don’t bother, Bob. There is no reason to even get out of the car!” They know right away that they will NEVER buy this home, so why waste the time to see the inside?
I have also had folks say, “This is IT. This is the house!”, before I have even had a chance to stop the car.
The difference between the two homes? Curb appeal.
Even on your first visit to a home, you probably know what city you are in, you probably know about the school system, and you know how long it will take for you to get to shopping and work.
What you do not know is how the home will affect they way you feel about IT until it stares back at you.
It’s like art: “I don’t know how to describe it, but I’ll know it when I see it”
When you see the home from the street – the “curb” – you make certain judgments about the inside and the people who live there. It doesn’t make any difference whether we are buying or coming over for dinner. We all do it.
When you see the fashionable color scheme, you say to yourself, “Gee, this home looks so… modern! These people obviously have good taste.”
When you look at the green lawn and the neatly-pruned shrubbery, you say, “Boy, it takes a lot of pride and effort to keep a place looking as nice as this! They obviously take good care of their home and don’t defer any maintenance!”
When you look down the street and see other well-kept homes, you say to yourself,”Gosh, all of these homes look great! The people who live in this neighborhood are probably successful and have respect for their neighbors!” We assume that this is a good family environment because good families live here. You decide right then and there that you want to be one of these people!
All without leaving the car! And without seeing the inside. In fact, seeing the inside is usually only to confirm your positive feeling.
Membership in this club sends a message. Fortunately, the cost of this membership may be financed and the interest costs tax-deductible.
It is not about bricks and boards and plot plans. Those things are dry and logical. The process of choosing which home to purchase is in large part emotional.
As I said in my previous post “You Know More Than Your Realtor” , it is difficult to become emotionally attached to numbers of bathrooms or square footage.
It is easy, however, to have a positive feeling about providing a safe and happy environment for your family and projecting an image of financial success and security.
Even though our conscious mind understands that the lawn may have been installed a week ago and the exterior paint may be barely dry, our subconscious mind imagines how happy our family will be living in this environment.
We imagine how our friends will feel as they drive up to see our new home. We picture the family sitting around gleefully awaiting a well-prepared Holiday Dinner. We will be able to add our new, genteel neighbors to our list of friends and our kids will play with their kids.
And, in those instances, “This is IT!” is often followed by “Let’s make an offer!”
That’s Curb Appeal!
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