Selling the family home during a divorce can be tough, and it often presents obstacles and roadblocks you wouldn’t encounter in a traditional sale to work around and deal with.
Chief among your concerns may be who will maintain and keep up the home. In the market today, curb appeal is a vital part of selling your home.
Curb Appeal’s Impact on Your Sale
Curb appeal is essentially the attractiveness of your home and landscaping overall to anyone passing by. This is the gateway; it’s what will lure potential buyers in to see more. Your home’s overall facade, exterior and landscaping are very important because of this. Without curb appeal, you will have a tough time getting people to view your home, even if the inside is excellent and full of upgrades.
Home searches tend to start online, with buyers taking a look at your home’s exterior and interior. When you have great curb appeal online, it can spark the interest of buyers right out of the gate.
Watch Your Walkway
It’s the often-overlooked walkaway that serves as a “portal” to your home. Having this entrance prepared will gain you points with potential buyers. The front door, landings, and walkway should mesh together, giving a person an appealing journey from the street to your front door.
Check Your Back and Front Doors
Attractive yet eye-catching back and front doors are popular right now, but make sure the colors you use are in line with your overall exterior style. There should be a contrast between your front door/entrance area and the home’s face. Unusual colors may be attractive to you, but they can turn off buyers if they don’t look right with your home.
Your back door should also be checked to ensure it’s in top shape. You don’t want a broken screen door, an off-track door or anything like that turning off buyers when you are showing your home. This could signal to the buyer that there’s a lack of upkeep. Double-check windows and panes near the back door to ensure they are clean and working properly.
Shore up Landscaping
A well-manicured lawn is very important—it’s such a dominating feature that buyers will notice these areas immediately. A high-maintenance lawn isn’t necessarily appealing to buyers, so your best bet here is to go with neat and attractive, with properly cut and trimmed grass, plants, and bushes. Avoid lawn ornaments as these tend to be specific to the owner of the home and can be perceived as clutter by others.
Backyard Curb Appeal
Don’t skimp on your backyard, even though it can’t be immediately seen from the street. Your backyard area needs to be as cleaned and maintained as your front yard is. While curb appeal relates to the front of the house, your backyard is the private space buyers will want to see.
The backyard, of course, should be attractive, neat and trimmed. If you have patio furniture to put there, check to make sure it’s clean and keep it there—it can help buyers imagine sitting in the yard themselves. If you don’t, consider buying a few inexpensive pieces that you would use at your new house or borrowing some pieces from friends. Arrange the furniture in a way that’s the most visually appealing and not necessarily how you would use it personally.
The marital home can be a sticking point in divorce or legal separation. If you have not yet made any decisions about what will happen to it with your soon-to-be-ex or want to know more about this area of your case, speak to a divorce attorney about your options.