What can you learn about a house by looking at the outside only? If it appears nice from the outside, will you like the inside? Does a well-manicured lawn assure that you will find a neat and clean home? Or, if the house appears to be neglected on the outside, should you avoid the home altogether, or perhaps withhold judgement until you have had a tour of the entire home? Can you always know about the interior condition of a home by looking at the exterior? The answer is that you can sometimes tell, but not always.
Homeowners have varying lifestyles and priorities. Some owners place their emphasis on the exterior because they love working in the yard. This same person, however, may not necessarily put equal effort into decorating and maintaining the home on the inside. In this case, you may see a beautiful yard and assume that you would like the rest of the home, but then find it lacking inside. Other homeowners may have a well-decorated and attractive interior, but devote little effort to the home’s exterior curb appeal.
Of course, the ideal situation for the prospective buyer is the homeowner who keeps the property in top condition on the inside and outside. In that case what you see is what you get and you’ve hit the jackpot!
If you are driving around looking at homes or perusing the internet, consider some tips from this Realtor:
Choose areas that have the school system and location that you prefer, because one thing you cannot change is the location.
Don’t rule out a home merely because the exterior is not well maintained, since that could be deceiving. The original floor plan may have been remodeled with improvements that you cannot see from the road. If so, fixing up the outside lawn or landscaping could be much easier and less costly than if you need to renovate a full interior.
Look at the homes on both sides of and across the street from the subject property. If surrounding homes are of greater value, you may be looking at a home with good investment potential and well worth a little elbow grease or painting or landscaping refreshing. These days there are so many options to create fantastic outdoor living spaces incorporated into beautiful plantings.
We are seeing more and more “front of house” spectacular exterior renovations than ever before, so starting with a less than stellar exterior is not really an issue if you like the location and the interior.
ADVICE: Consider all options despite appearances but don’t try to go it alone. Be sure to take advantage of the knowledge and expertise of a competent Realtor®.
