How important is the look of the front of the house?

[lucyandroger]

SO and I have started looking at houses. We found one that is almost perfect - it''s a nice size, fair asking price, awesome neighborhood and school district, close to public transportation, well-kept, and has a great backyard....

...but we hate the way the front looks

and there''s not much that can be changed about it. So how important is the look of the front of the house to you?

 

[janinegirly]

as far as I know anything can be changed to a home. Why do you believe it can''t in your case? New siding, new roof-- you could even expand it and change the look all together.

now neighbors'' houses, location..that''s something you can''t change..

 

[soocool]

I think first impressions mean a lot. But obviously you have found a lot that you love about this house. I''ve seen many HGTV shows that have redone the front of the home so that it is more appealing. Don''t give up if you think you''ve found your dream home, because I do believe there is hope.

 

[Haven]

A little paint and colorful landscaping can go a long way, you''d be amazed!

I love sprucing up our curb appeal, and it''s a fun thing to do together once you''ve moved in. I think there''s a show on hgtv called Curb Appeal that fixes this sort of problem, it''s worth a look on their website to see before and after pictures.

 

[lucyandroger]

Date: 6/17/2009 4:09:01 PM
Author: janinegirly
as far as I know anything can be changed to a home. Why do you believe it can''t in your case? New siding, new roof-- you could even expand it and change the look all together.

now neighbors'' houses, location..that''s something you can''t change..

Well, it''s a brick rambler with a walk-out lower level that has an extension built out the back. So from the front it looks a lot smaller than it actually is and looks like it only has one story. SO and I really like the look of traditional two-story colonial homes.

So, I guess technically we could build on a second story to make it look like we''d like but seeing as we''re putting the majority of our savings into a house and a ring, I don''t think that''s going to happen anytime soon.

 

[janinegirly]

wel then i''d say keep looking and if you still can''t forget this house, bid lower and take those savings and accrue them over time so you can build that 2nd floor and/or make the house look like the style you prefer sometime in the future.

but sounds like you should keep looking in the meantime--it''s a buyers market, and colonials are classics, so a bit more difficult to mimic. (we have one so I"m biased!).

 

[lucyandroger]

Date: 6/17/2009 4:27:34 PM
Author: janinegirly
wel then i''d say keep looking and if you still can''t forget this house, bid lower and take those savings and accrue them over time so you can build that 2nd floor and/or make the house look like the style you prefer sometime in the future.

but sounds like you should keep looking in the meantime--it''s a buyers market, and colonials are classics, so a bit more difficult to mimic. (we have one so I''m biased!).

Then you understand! I think you''re right. I''m afraid that I might feel a twinge of regret every time I drive past one of those gorgeous colonials.

 

[ladypirate]

Well, since you''ll be spending most of your time indoors, you won''t be the one looking at your house. Could you live with this one for the next 5 - 10 years and then try to find the house of your dreams?

 

[partgypsy]

I love ranches and bungalows and other low slung and one story houses. I''m more of "meh" when I see a colonial, just looks like a big box to me. I guess just each to their own! It''s sounds like the problem you have is not the front appearance, but the "style" of the house. In that case maybe I would keep looking.

 

[lucyandroger]

Date: 6/17/2009 4:47:50 PM
Author: part gypsy
I love ranches and bungalows and other low slung and one story houses. I''m more of ''meh'' when I see a colonial, just looks like a big box to me. I guess just each to their own! It''s sounds like the problem you have is not the front appearance, but the ''style'' of the house. In that case maybe I would keep looking.

Yep, I should have said "style." Definitely just a case of personal preference...I''m sure plenty of people would look at it and fall instantly in love. Maybe we should leave the house out there for them but then I think of the location, the great deck and yard, beautiful family room....

 

[lucyandroger]

Date: 6/17/2009 4:35:54 PM
Author: ladypirate
Well, since you''ll be spending most of your time indoors, you won''t be the one looking at your house. Could you live with this one for the next 5 - 10 years and then try to find the house of your dreams?

This definitely won''t be our forever house. We may not even be in this area of the country forever. So you''re definitely right to keep that in mind.

I''ve been thinking about the highlighted part of your post and that''s what really has me going back and forth. Shouldn''t the inside be the most important since that''s what I''ll actually be enjoying/ living in.

 

[lucyandroger]

Here''s a pic of a similar style home to the one we''re considering...

 

[swimmer]

Landscaping! My parents have a ranch and Mom was not thrilled with the front till she planted the trees, bushes, and bulbs that make their house so nice. She even tried ivy, which does hurt the brick I''m told, but it did look so pretty. Shutters, windowboxes, curtains, hanging basketed flowers, all really liven up a space. And hey, so the front looks small, that deters possible break-ins right? It sounds like you might want us to talk you into it, sounds like a great space on the inside. Good luck with the decision.

 

[Mara]

as others have said there are things you can do to make it have better curb appeal but if BASICS about it bother you, aka the lines of the house or architecturally or similar then it might be a pain to fix that or redo it. for me curb appeal is VERY important.

we bought an all brick ranch somewhat like that, and at first i was NOT keen on it at all, i am not a brick kind of person. but we put in a really cute crafstman white wood garage door, the shutters are all white, and we have some climbing vines and bougainvaillea along the house now, and it looks SUPER cute now. in fact i think ours is one of the cutest ones on the block now. so look at it with an eye to what you can do to change it and it might grow on you.

one note is that for brick houses like that, green is an extremely flattering color to it, aka green foliage. and white is a good contrast. but also our bricks are a little darker which i like more than light. you could also paint the bricks, i have seen people do that in the neighborhoods around us.

 

[cara]

I must be too poor. If we could afford a house with these pluses and minuses, we would be thrilled. Especially for me, great backyard is more important than front yard - I'd rather have an entertaining/private outside area in the backyard than a nice curb appeal frontyard. Looks smaller than it is is much better than the reverse. Front looks bad from outside much better than house looks bad from inside! But in our area, our budget requires compromises so that is my perspective. To me, bad curb appeal mainly means price should reflect the fact that it makes a poor first impression and there might need to be some sprucing up in the post-homebuying budget. But if you have the budget to be choosy, or if the compromises involved are too much *for you* and your preferences, then its a pass. And good luck!

 

[rainwood]

Curb appeal is important for resale of the house, but curb appeal is based on whether most people wouldn''t like it, not whether you just don''t happen to like that particular style of house. If you just don''t like the way it looks, it won''t affect resale, but it still might not be the house for you. You''d have to decide if the good things about the house outweigh the front. If you think the house looking small from the front would hinder resale then you should take that into account. Or if the addition in back makes it the biggest, most expensive house in the neighborhood, that usually isn''t the best position to be in either.

The nice thing about brick is that it''s one of the lowest maintenance facades. You don''t have to paint it and it doesn''t rot. As long as the brick is in good shape and doesn''t need tuckpointing, you''ll never need to do anything to it. That can be a big plus.

 

[neatfreak]

I think there is a big difference between having bad curb appeal because it''s just plain ugly vs. having bad curb appeal TO YOU because you don''t like the style ya know?

We are in the process of buying a house that I don''t **love** from the outside. It''s a ranch and I am from New England and like to have more than 1 floor! But alas we are buying in CA and almost everything there in our price range is a ranch. BUT to other people it looks nice from the outside-so I know we won''t have a hard time selling when the time comes.

I only worry about the outside if it''s a real eyesore that will prevent us from selling it in the future. Otherwise-I can deal if the inside is great KWIM? For me-it''s worth the trade off because unless you are buying your dream home usually you have to give in somewhere and I would rather give in on the looks than the guts of the house.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

For me it''s very important.

We like craftsman or coastal homes. To us, the outside is like the wrapping on a present...sure whats inside matters, but a pretty package is always more fun to open.

We''re always home shopping...and in our budget for where we live, we''re fortunate to be able to afford something along the lines of our taste either custom or pre-exsisting. But, if the inventory wasn''t on our side "design-wise" I would have to devise a budget that would allow for modifications. Is this something you''ve considered? While not cheap, it''s certainly an option. Depending on your style, making stylized changes is doable...while you probably can''t change a ranch to traditional, you could add columns or pillars--change brick to siding and stone...whatever it is that makes you excited to "go home".

 

[packrat]

I''ll echo the landscaping! You''d be amazed at what you can accomplish. I like having a place that looks great (and will look even better later this summer when we finally get it sided and a new roof/gutters), and I like when people oooh and ahhh over it, or drive slow to look. It''s important to me to have a nice looking place inside and out. We go more crazy in the backyard, fussing with stuff, and when we have parties, we get a lot of comments on our backyard "oasis". There are a lot of different things that can be done w/a place like you are talking about..nice walkway from the driveway to the porch..flowers/shrubs in dedicated beds, planters, siding/roof/gutters/windows. Maybe check out hgtv and get some ideas?

 

[DiamanteBlu]

I think curb appeal is important - especially with the interior being really nice.

Based on the photo you posted I think the outside has some great potential. Some minor modifications to the structure and a bit of landscaping would result in a very "appealing" house.

I don't know if you watch HGTV but they have a series called Curb Appeal. I have seen many houses going from not-so-good to great. There certainly is a good opportunity to fix up your curb appeal and I don't think it would break the bank.

ETA Oops, I didn't answer the question! Curb appeal is very important to me when you actually get to the house. I prefer the house to be hidden from the street.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

The front is the most important view of the house for me because it''s what I see every time I drive home!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 6/17/2009 6:31:16 PM
Author: Mara
as others have said there are things you can do to make it have better curb appeal but if BASICS about it bother you, aka the lines of the house or architecturally or similar then it might be a pain to fix that or redo it. for me curb appeal is VERY important.

we bought an all brick ranch somewhat like that, and at first i was NOT keen on it at all, i am not a brick kind of person. but we put in a really cute crafstman white wood garage door, the shutters are all white, and we have some climbing vines and bougainvaillea along the house now, and it looks SUPER cute now. in fact i think ours is one of the cutest ones on the block now. so look at it with an eye to what you can do to change it and it might grow on you.

one note is that for brick houses like that, green is an extremely flattering color to it, aka green foliage. and white is a good contrast. but also our bricks are a little darker which i like more than light. you could also paint the bricks, i have seen people do that in the neighborhoods around us.

There are all brick homes in California? Isn't that an earthquake hazard? I have no data on that kind of stuff...I always figured bricks and earthquakes don't mix. Or perhaps they hold better?

 

[Linda W]

Date: 6/18/2009 2:23:49 AM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 6/17/2009 6:31:16 PM

Author: Mara

as others have said there are things you can do to make it have better curb appeal but if BASICS about it bother you, aka the lines of the house or architecturally or similar then it might be a pain to fix that or redo it. for me curb appeal is VERY important.


we bought an all brick ranch somewhat like that, and at first i was NOT keen on it at all, i am not a brick kind of person. but we put in a really cute crafstman white wood garage door, the shutters are all white, and we have some climbing vines and bougainvaillea along the house now, and it looks SUPER cute now. in fact i think ours is one of the cutest ones on the block now. so look at it with an eye to what you can do to change it and it might grow on you.


one note is that for brick houses like that, green is an extremely flattering color to it, aka green foliage. and white is a good contrast. but also our bricks are a little darker which i like more than light. you could also paint the bricks, i have seen people do that in the neighborhoods around us.

There are all brick homes in California? Isn''t that an earthquake hazard? I have no data on that kind of stuff...I always figured bricks and earthquakes don''t mix. Or perhaps they hold better?

I am thinking the same thing. I don''t think I ever saw an all brick house. If I did, I don''t think I paid attention to it.

 

[Hera]

I've seen all brick structures in California. Off the top of my head:

My high school gym 2 miles from the epicenter of the Northridge earthquake. I did hear it was a hazard before it fell, but they didn't take it down.

college dormitories at San Diego State University: They are tearing them down, but I think a few are still standing to this day. Fortunately, San Diego earthquakes are more mild.

lucyandroger: I wouldn't buy a house that I didn't see potential in the exterior. I think you can't change the exterior too much or it will look strange. My mom's next door neighbor added columns and a type of pediment to her ranch style house and it looks wretched. I would keep looking.

 

[pennquaker09]

They always say you know the house is for you when you pull up. If you don''t like the outside, keep looking to you find something that you do like.

 

[dani13]

Date: 6/18/2009 4:24:05 AM
Author: pennquaker09
They always say you know the house is for you when you pull up. If you don''t like the outside, keep looking to you find something that you do like.

I agree completely. Curb appeal is so important!!!

 

[movie zombie]

Date: 6/18/2009 4:24:05 AM
Author: pennquaker09
They always say you know the house is for you when you pull up. If you don''t like the outside, keep looking to you find something that you do like.

so true! its happened that way for me each and every time.

i could not stand coming home to a front that i didn''t like......

unless there is potential in redoing the front to something acceptable for you via landscaping, creative fencing, rock, etc., i''d keep looking.

mz

 

[D&T]

First Impression is Curb Appeal, so that is one very important aspect of real estate to me.

 

[whitby_2773]

hi lucyandroger

my husband and i are on our 14th home now. we''ve bought, renovated and resold many times. the house you''re looking at is a GREAT candidate for improving value.

you have in order all the things which CANT be changed - school district, neighborhood, access to transportation, size of lot, and so on and so on. anything else can be changed. ANYTHING.

a home is a long term proposition. if this one has all those things you listed, changing the external appearance is the least of your worries. you can work with a designer, architect, builder, or just pull ideas from your own likes and dislikes; it''s what i call an ''easy fix''. and unless you won the lottery and have failed to mention it, you''re like every other newly wed on the planet who doesnt have the funds to get their ideal home right off the bat. one works up. one saves and plans and saves some more and thinks and compromises and so on and so on....and you get where you want to go. and it''s FUN! if this house has all those things, and you''re only just getting married, this can be a project you work on over the next 5, 10, 15 years or more. just looking at your house off the bat, i can see a number of things which could be done which would really perk up the look of the house and give it much stronger curb appeal.

as for the second story, seriously, is there some reason this can''t wait? you could end up sitting on a gold mine over time. just make sure the other houses in the street are better than yours before you buy; you never want to have the best house in the street. ever. you want your house to be (ultimately) pitched right in the middle of the suburb''s home values. so look for a great house pitched at the low end of the market, and buy that. that''s how you make money in real estate.

hope this helps - just a few thoughts i wanted to throw out there right away cause it looks like you really could be on to something.

good luck!

 

[Mara]

yes the front of the house is all brick...but the sides and back are a taupe painted stucco. i really like it because it's like two houses, front looks one way and back (facing the yard) looks another. it actually was not built that way...the original owner was a brick layer so he redid the front of the house in all brick. it's the only house that is like that which is kind of cool.

most buildings i have seen in CA will have 'brick face'...it's not all true brick but underneath it will have a stucco and then a brick facade on top....there might be a few that are truly all brick but yes they are rare. i always noticed we never really had brick houses in CA as well when i was growing up!