curb ap·peal
noun
- the attractiveness of a property and its surroundings when viewed from the street.
“landscaping, the front entrance, and the condition of the paint or siding are the biggest factors in curb appeal”
Curb appeal is a concept that became popular during the American housing boom of the 90s and 2000s. For a property to have desirable curb appeal, the property should be aesthetically pleasing to look at when viewing it from the street. Attractive commercial curb appeal is vital in various areas of your property. A positive and attractive curb appeal can:
- Gain trust for your business. Customers, vendors, and financial partners see your business in a more positive light.
- Increase visibility and draw traffic to your business.
- Help your business stand out from other businesses, including competitors.
- Improve employee pride and contributes to their loyalty.
I think we can all agree that curb appeal is especially important in the commercial real estate realm, so what you can do to improve the curb appeal of your property?
Nature is Nurture
Nature elements can help people relax, which is particularly important in commercial environments. One study found that people who looked at roses felt more than 20% less stressed than those who did not. A quality landscape can help a client envision how they could adopt a commercial real estate property for their business’s own needs. It will make it easier for them to feel as if they already rent or own the property. Boosting a client’s ability to feel welcome is important, since gaining a client’s trust is a major factor in successfully selling or renting commercial real estate.
First Impression Wins
By actively improving your commercial real estate’s aesthetics, you are ensuring that clients view your property in a positive light. When looking for a new potential property, half of all real estate clients choose to drive to the location to see it for the first time. If a potential client drives by a property and sees weeds, chipped paint, or a weathered sign, they may not leave with a strong first impression. By investing time and money into sprucing up your property’s exterior, you can improve how clients perceive your property. Clients want to see attractive properties, and they will be more willing to further consider a property if they see that it is well maintained.
Sell, Sell, Sell
Consumers judge the value of products by how attractive they are. A study found that properties with well-manicured landscaping had selling prices that were approximately 7% higher than properties that did not maintain their lawn. Studies show that maintaining a commercial real estate property’s landscaping has a strong return on investment. Your commercial real estate’s curb appeal matters because proper landscaping can ensure that a property gets sold. Landscaping will not only increase the value of your property, but also will see that your property is sold or rented out more quickly than competing properties.
Knowing that businesses don’t generally have an endless supply of money for commercial curb appeal improvements, it is valuable to start with a strategy to guide your planning and budgeting. First, critically evaluate the total outside appearance to see what needs to be improved. Second, focus on the areas that people will see first and the areas that they will see most. Third, consider what changes will deliver the most impact. Fourth, think about the long term; what will have the most enduring impact? And Fifth set up a property evaluation with LMC. We will walk you through which areas will benefit most from the addition of trees, shrubs, seasonal color, and native plants.
