Ever wonder why your property is looking drab compared to other properties in the neighborhood? It makes no difference if you’re a home buyer or a real estate investor looking for a return on investment, curb appeal matters. Not only will curb appeal boost your selling price, but it will also help your investment property sell faster! It’s a well-established method that real estate agents use as a form of forced real estate appreciation.
In any case, while selling an investment property, you want to attract those property buyers without breaking the bank. Keep in mind that real estate investors must be fully aware of their spending. In other words, real estate investors don’t spend a penny unless they know they are getting it back in return, with a little extra on the side! So, what are some genius out-of-the-box ideas to help you improve the curb appeal of your investment property?
Ideas to improve the curb appeal of your investment property
Despite the fact that curb appeal can bring you more offers on your property and ultimately higher offers, real estate investors must look for a low-budget fix that will make a difference. After all, no one said that making money in real estate was an easy job! We’ve searched and searched the vast space of today’s internet, and we’ve gathered the most genius low-budget ideas to enhance the curb appeal of your investment property. It doesn’t matter if your investment property is in one of the best places to invest in real estate or the worst, the information below will help you with the property’s curb appeal:
Numbers
The house numbers are one of those things that you may notice at the beginning of your ownership of the investment property but somehow fall into the background of the overall picture. To emphasize, go ahead and take a look at your house numbers. Are they rusty, old, or outdated? The answer is most likely going to be a YES!
Find medium-sized numbers (don’t go overboard) and it won’t take you longer than 15-20 minutes to install them. Of course, take the style of your investment property into consideration; you don’t want the numbers to look out of place! You want your numbers to pop when focusing on them but blend harmoniously into the background when looking at the entrance. Check out Etsy’s collection of house numbers to find a bargain to match your investment property’s look.
Pressure washing? Yes, please!
We’re all guilty of the pleasure of watching these satisfying pressure washing videos! You can do that within any rental property you own or an investment property you’re selling and renew tiles and clean grout and it’s a cost-effective solution for all real estate investors! Instead of replacing exterior bricks and tiles, just go ahead and pressure wash them! If you don’t own a pressure washer, worry no more! You can find a power washer rental at homedepot.com. The rent goes anywhere between $35 to $100 depending on the type of washer you need.
Plant till you drop
Plants are the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about curb appeal! Most single-family investment properties have plants, trees, or shrubs around. Accordingly, a great tip to give homeowners is to look at other properties in the neighborhood and see what type of landscaping is working out the most. In any case, hit your local Walmart and see the selection of trees they offer. Our favorite pick for a tree to give your investment property an edge and a bit of a color pop is the Canada Red Chokecherry tree. It’s versatile and would survive in more dry climates as well.
When thinking of forced appreciation in real estate, you want plants and flowers that will do two things for you:
- Flowers that will continuously reproduce throughout summer.
- Plants that will grow fast and create shade.
If you’re taking a stroll around Walmart, don’t be too enticed to buy annuals; they might be good for a potted plant situation, but having to clean the dead plant after summer kicks in and your left with an empty patch of compost is likely to drive you straight to buying shrubs and flowering bushes.
A paintbrush goes a long way!
According to Zillow’s recent study with over 32,000 sold properties, homes with different colors tend to go for different price points. In other words, an exterior painted with beige and grey hues “greige” were sold for $3,496 more than homes with a brown or tan exterior. You might have thought that it doesn’t matter what the color of the property is when selling an investment property. However, the modernity and versatility of the color you choose will reflect on the process of selling the property.
On a different note, a small project of painting the front door a statement color like charcoal black or honeybee yellow can catch the eye of anyone passing by! We recommend keeping the investment property’s structure and design in mind when painting the door or the exterior as a whole.
Side note: If you’re considering painting an investment property’s exterior and you think it will drive the value of your investment property up, make sure the budget spent on such a project doesn’t exceed the return on investment. Always look at the bigger picture of making money in real estate.
Don’t skimp on a new mailbox
A new mailbox is a must have for anyone interested in improving the curb appeal of their investment property. After all, it’s among the first things that property buyers will take a look at when entering your home’s premises. If you’re not looking to spend too much on a new mailbox, consider spray painting it to give it a fresh look!
Revamp the exterior with new lighting
In most scenarios, property buyers will take a look at your investment property during the day. However, a smart buyer or real estate investor will come back after the open house raps up and take a look at the property at night. It’s among the best real estate investment tips given by expert real estate investors. Accordingly, as a property seller, it’s your duty to get that exterior bedazzled with lights. Consider changing or installing pathway lights, flower bed lights, and even porch lights. Quite often these go overlooked, but it helps your investment property to get a better and higher property appraisal score!
Flower boxes EVERYWHERE!
We’ve all seen them and we’re envious of how they look! A luscious arrangement of complex hues of multi-colored petals dangling underneath a window of a real estate property. The curb appeal that flower boxes have is undeniable! Homeowners typically plant flower boxes with annuals, perennials, and even cacti! Invest in quality ones or make your own DIY flower box. Check out The DIY Network for flower boxes ideas.
Fancy door knocker
This one might have slipped your mind! Imagine this, you’re a property buyer and you’re going to an open house. You reach the house door and you find this beautiful rustic piece of a door knocker facing you. It’s definitely going to play a part in creating more elegance and sophistication to any front door!
Don’t underestimate the power of shutters
Shutters are often left out of original finishing plans mainly to cut costs and improve the return on investment for the contractor or real estate developer. So, if you’ve bought an investment property and are looking to sell it, go outside and take a look at windows from an exterior point of view. In most cases, shutters will create a wider looking window on the outside while infiltrating more depth and detail into any wall of the investment property.
Don’t forgo the little things
When taking on a project like implementing forced real estate appreciation on your investment property, you’re definitely going to forget the little details that make a crisp neat look! These little things include adding or replacing mulch to create a crisp, clean, and new look. In addition to that, potted flowers can be the icing on the cupcake for property buyers and real estate agents! It shows the investment property was taken care of. In any case, it never hurts to have a splash of colors here and there on your porch and entryway.
The details of your investment property may not be of major importance to you when selling the property as opposed to the property buyer; he/she will look at the minor details.
Stone Veneer
There are many faux stone pieces that you can find at Lowe’s that look just like original counterparts. To achieve a high-end look with a faux stone veneer, consider lining it along-side any retaining walls or any eyesore concrete that might hurt the curb appeal of your investment property.
Conclusion
Implementing forced real estate appreciation tactics is definitely not an easy job to take on for any real estate investor. You must figure out the budget and balance the return on investment and cost of each small project to make sure you’re creating value for your property’s curb appeal. In any case, make sure the property is well-kept and the lawn is cut. The right buyer will come along with the right offer, just make sure you have their future property ready for them!
If you have any more insights on buying or selling an investment property, please share them with us in the comments section.