Adding Model Home Appeal To Your Home

by Broderick Perkins DeadlineNews.Com John V. Pinto's numerous renovated homes in downtown San Jose, CA look so much like full restorations owners call them "Pinto Homes," as if he'd rebuilt them from the ground up. The San Jose, CA real estate broker perfected the art of marketing homes by buying fixer-uppers for sale and renovating them to resell with "curb appeal" buyers couldn't refuse. "It has to appeal to all of the senses. It has to look new. It has to feel new. Why? Time is the currency of the 2000s. With a house that needs work, all buyers see is the time and hassle dealing with contractors. Everybody has money to buy, but you only have 24 hours in the day," Pinto says. You may not need to add "Pinto Home" level curb appeal to your home, but exterior remodeling jobs will help you beat the competition and pad your bottom line when it's time to sell. Even if your home is a keeper, relatively inexpensive curb appeal remodeling jobs offer a high return on your money, not to mention a boost in status and your quality of life. Curb appeal is the impression your home's exterior conveys. It should create an emotional desire to own and to live the lifestyle and status it represents. Most importantly, curb appeal is what makes you want to go inside, says Kit Davey, a Redwood City, CA-based interior designer, who counts on exteriors to get people inside to see her model home work. "Some resale homes are filled with the "ghosts," the histories of previous owners. The owner of a new-looking home will have more freedom to create their own history," says Davey. So how do you give your home curb appeal? With lots of attention to detail in not one, but all the components that make your home stand out on the block. New paint. There's nothing like a fresh coat of paint to begin to give your home that "newly built" look. Choose a color scheme that doesn't clash with the neighborhood, but does set your home apart. Remove built up layers of paint before applying a new one. If you don't need to remove existing paint, prep the surface. "Outside painted surfaces tend to attract a layer of dirt and grime from dust and pollutants in the air. Grime will stop your new layers of paint from adhering properly and cause peeling," says Kendall Holmes, publisher of Oldhouseweb.com. New landscaping. Well-manicured landscaping helps frame curb appeal. You want tidy, simple, healthy landscaping installed in proportion with your home. It's important to know how your landscaping will appear once its matured. From a practical sense, the plants and trees provide shade and passive cooling as they control erosion and pollution. "Tress provide privacy if you are in a single-level house surrounded by two story homes. The fact that houses with mature trees fetch more money is a well-documented fact," said Pinto. New roof. Some real estate agents advise against adding a new roof when sales are brisk, but topping off a complete curb appeal remodeling job, mandates a new roof, gutters and downspouts. Pinto says roofs can add contrasting color and textures to your home's look. Asphalt shingle roofs are the most economical, but are available in multi-dimensional textures and decorator colors that give the roof designer appeal. For a unique look without the cost of slate, one of the most expensive roofing products, consider simulated slate shingles. New paving. New sidewalks, driveways and other non-landscaped surfaces help pave the way to curb appeal. If you are about to sell your home, Pinto likes affordable concrete stamped with the impressions of cobblestones for a European look -- on a budget. Cincinnati-based Tim Carter, publisher of Askthebuilder.com, suggests interlocking concrete paving bricks for color, durability and uniqueness. "These bricks are made using concrete with small aggregate. They come in a multitude of colors and patterns. These bricks are extremely durable and exhibit many of the same qualities of traditional paving bricks," Carter said. New doors, windows. Portals should make visitors feel welcome. New double doors, new energy-efficient windows framed with shutters, garage doors with half moon windows, all add the final touches to curb appeal. "What's the thing people see first? The garage door. If you have to replace it, replace it with a sectional garage door with some interesting windows. Now you have colored stamped concrete, a coordinating paint job and a new 30-year roof. You have an explosion of colors and a much more custom look," said Pinto. Copyright © 2005 DeadlineNews.Com -- Broderick Perkins, is executive editor of San Jose, CA-based DeadlineNews.Com, an editorial content and consulting firm. Perkins has been a consumer and real estate journalist for more than 25 years.