Curb Appeal Takes Starring Role in Competitive Market
Updating windows and doors are a must in a house exterior makeover

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. April 02, 2008 — Real estate may be about location, location, location, but it’s also about looks.

Curb appeal is taking on a bigger role in today’s housing market. With the number of available homes for sale growing each day, buyers can afford to be choosy and consider only houses that show well from the street. That means sellers now have just a few seconds to make a first impression, capture interest and draw buyers inside.

Confirming just how important curb appeal is to hooking new owners, JELD-WEN, a leading window and door manufacturer, discovered in a recent survey of real estate agents that 82 percent have had potential buyers decline to look at the interior of a home based on the exterior appearance.

“In today’s competitive market, buyers want upgrades, like windows and doors, that create visual appeal,” said Elizabeth Souders, product marketing manager for JELD-WEN.  “A home must present itself favorably in a quick snapshot. JELD-WEN’s survey shows that without strong curb appeal, buyers might not even consider looking inside the home.”

Upgrading curb appeal is proving to be a good investment when selling a home. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), window and door projects pay mostly for themselves at closing. Typically, homeowners can expect between an 81 to 88 percent return on window upgrades, the NAR said. In addition, JELD-WEN survey respondents estimated a typical 2,500-square-foot home with updated entry and garage doors to be worth on average an additional $16,000.

Top 5 curb appeal tips
In addition to obvious touches like a new coat of paint or fixing cracks in the pavement, updating windows and doors are ideal first steps in boosting a home’s image. Whether owners are listing a home for sale, or simply want to increase their home’s stature in the neighborhood, JELD-WEN suggests these five tips to increasing curb appeal:

1. Stay true to style: Upgrades should fit in with a home’s architectural style. For example, JELD-WEN says contemporary homes call for windows and doors with clean lines and simple profiles, while traditional homes such as Craftsmans or Colonials are better matched with windows and doors featuring appropriate divided lite designs.

2. Add details: Custom features are a great way to achieve one-of-a-kind looks that stand out. Adding a doorknocker, speakeasy, decorative glass or metal accents to an upgraded front door can give an Old World home a heightened level of charm to catch a buyer’s eye. JELD-WEN recently introduced a collection of 18 new decorative metal grilles on its Custom Wood and Custom Fiberglass Exterior Doors to complement a full range of popular architectural styles such as contemporary, Victorian and Art Deco. New house numbers and porch lights also provide a fresh look for entry areas.

3. Remember the garage: The most prominent exterior feature in many homes is the garage door, so this upgrade goes a long way toward elevating curb appeal. JELD-WEN is seeing many homeowners ordering garage doors complete with window inserts, metal accents and hardware to match the main entry door for a coordinated appearance. The Carriage House style is particularly popular right now, said Souders. The company’s wood composite garage doors are affordable alternatives to real wood and won’t dent like steel.

4. Dress the yard: Make sure the house is the first thing potential buyers see, not overgrown hedges or dead grass. Hire a gardener to spruce up the landscaping and add colorful touches like seasonal flowers, decorative rocks or bubbly water fountains. Shaping bushes and curving lawn borders can shake up a tired front yard.

5. Coordinate color: Color, when done right, sells. Doors and windows give homeowners ideal opportunities to infuse color into their curb appeal without having to paint. For example, JELD-WEN’s Custom Wood windows come with 41 standard exterior metal clad color choices, meaning a homeowner can select hues such as Redwood or Dark Ivy to match surrounding natural elements. Cladding can also be used to coordinate with the front door’s color to present a unique, attractive palette on the home’s exterior. And cladding never needs to be painted.

“Curb appeal is about putting your home’s best foot forward,” said Souders. “There are so many different options and ways to do that these days, and choosing the right windows and doors is the first step to making a positive, lasting impression.”

About JELD-WEN
JELD-WEN, inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of reliable windows and doors. Based in Klamath Falls, Ore.,
JELD-WEN began as a small Oregon millwork plant with 15 employees in 1960 and has grown to more than 20,000 employees in nearly 150 locations worldwide. Today the company manufactures a full breadth of windows, doors and garage doors, and has earned numerous awards and endorsements for reliability, innovation and excellence. For more information about the exceptional value and reliability of JELD-WEN® products, or to find a dealer near you, please visit jeld-wen.com or call 800-877-9482.