Time to Sell Your Home? 92% of Realtors Recommend This Move

© Getty Images Two people standing in the front yard of a house and speaking with their realtor.

To call the current housing market a challenge might be understating it just a bit. Low mortgage rates, but soaring home prices and high demand from buyers in 2021 were followed by spiking mortgage rates over the course of 2022. The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage loan was 3.22% as of the first week of 2022, and as of this writing, that same mortgage comes with an average rate of 6.32%, per Freddie Mac. As higher rates have made getting a mortgage loan less feasible for many people, sellers are having a harder time commanding higher prices for their homes -- and may struggle to find qualified buyers, period.

Luckily, there's a way to get potential buyers' attention and help your home put its best foot forward if it's time to sell. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently released the 2023 Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features, and this guide notes that a full 92% of agents surveyed suggest that sellers focus on improving their homes' curb appeal before listing. Let's take a look at why curb appeal is so important, and discuss a few ways you can improve yours if a home sale is on the horizon.

Why does curb appeal matter?

The crucial role of curb appeal also found near-universal acceptance by the agents surveyed by NAR; 97% believed it is important for attracting home buyers, while 98% believed that buyers find it important, too. Put simply, that first look matters in all kinds of situations, including viewing a home for sale. As the saying goes, "You only have one chance to make a good first impression." If potential buyers see a home with an overgrown lawn, dirty siding and windows, and a cluttered front porch, they could be turned off before they even come inside your home.

Simple ways to improve curb appeal

If you want to sell your home for the best price possible and in a timely fashion, try focusing on these areas to improve your curb appeal:

Paint your front door: If your home's front door is looking a little dingy and sun-faded, it's a great time to give it a shiny new paint job. The color matters too; a 2022 study from Zillow found that homes with black or slate blue front doors commanded as much as $6,449 more than did similar houses with different front door colors.

Spruce up your porch: Now is the time to really play up that porch. If you have outdoor furniture, make sure it's clean and arranged to look inviting. Consider adding a few potted plants and maybe a colorful outdoor rug.

Revamp your landscaping: Even just mowing and edging your lawn will make a world of difference, but if you can spend a bit of money to hire a professional landscaper or perhaps just invest in some new plants for your yard, it'll make a world of difference.

It might not be the absolute best time to be selling your home, thanks to those higher interest rates. But with a little care and attention to detail, you can make your home look great from the outside and attract the right potential buyer to make an offer.

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