Home Sellers: These Are the 5 Exterior Features Buyers Want

If your home will soon be listed among South Bend homes for sale, you've probably already been busy updating its interior to make it appealing to home buyers. While making the interior of your home shine is certainly essential, your home's exterior needs some attention too, and overlooking it can be an expensive mistake. Getting your home sold quickly and at the right price means presenting a complete package to potential buyers, a home that is attractive and functional inside and out. So what can you do to make your home's exterior more appealing to buyers? Here are the 5 exterior features buyers want:

• Exterior lighting – Outdoor lighting is the top exterior feature buyers look for as they shop for a new home. Exterior lighting is attractive, increasing curb appeal, and it's also a key feature for home security purposes. Lighting to consider includes walkway lights, spotlights to highlight landscape features, and soft pendant lighting for porches or patios.
  
  
• Security systems – Home security systems are a big selling point these days, and they are even more appealing if they extend beyond the front door. If yours doesn't, consider installing features like outdoor security cameras, doorbell cams, driveway alarms, or motion detector lights.
  
  
• Fenced yards – Having your yard fenced in has a number of advantages, which makes it a feature that many buyers find very appealing. Fencing can provide privacy and security, and for buyers with young children and/or pets, it provides a safe, confined space for outdoor fun.
   
• Outdoor living spaces – Outdoor living areas are becoming a must-have feature for many home buyers today. A cozy deck, porch or patio, furnished with comfortable outdoor seating, soft lighting, and a fireplace or fire pit, can add appeal to your home. A well-appointed outdoor kitchen can also be a major plus in the eyes of buyers.
   
• Landscaping – Having attractive landscaping as a backdrop to those outdoor living spaces can make your home much more appealing to the eye of potential buyers. If you haven't done much landscaping on your property, hiring a landscape professional before listing your home for sale may be wise. If your existing landscaping is looking a little tired, spruce it up. Give plants, shrubs, and trees a new layer of mulch and make sure they are neatly trimmed. Add flowers along walkways and fence lines, and make sure lawns are lush and well-manicured.

For more information on exterior features that buyers want, please feel free to contact us. We're always happy to put our knowledge and experience to work for the benefit of South Bend home sellers.