Curb Appeal Matters

Having been a Real Estate Broker for over 16 years, I know that curb appeal matters. A rundown looking property detracts buyers, whereas a property that has an inviting and welcoming smile on its face aka fresh coat of paint, landscaping enhanced and tidy, clean appearance causes buyers to want to know more about that property. Let’s face it, first impressions matter. We care about how we dress for a job interview, and we spent extra time in front of the mirror before that first date. When it comes to selling a home, first impressions matter, too.

The term “curb appeal” comes from real estate sales and home design. For years, buyers have formed their first impressions of homes when they first drive up to the home just beyond the curb. That first impression determines whether or not buyers want to see the inside of the house.

To get that buyer in the door, the seller spent hours and days on seeding new grass, planting flowers, painting their front door, weeding and cleaning up the yard. If the home didn’t appeal from the curb, buyers moved on to the next house.

Maybe this post is to help you market your home....if you're wanting to, but foremost, I wanted to compare that important idea of curb appeal to you and I. What is OUR curb appeal? What is it about us that draws people to us or detracts people away from us?

Is our disposition grumpy, cranky, dismal? Is our attitude "cloudy" and "glass half empty"? Do we look exhausted and worried? Does our appearance look like we could care less about what others think about us?

What is that "first impression" others get of us? If we really want to convey the love of God, His peace that passes understanding, the graciousness and appeal of the Holy Spirit, then OUR "curb appeal" matters. We were created in the image of God, and God sure doesn't make junk. God sees us as a masterpiece. Do others see us as God's masterpiece?

1 Samuel 16:7 says "But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." Sure, the world focuses on what people look like on the outside. God focuses on what people look like on the inside. When we focus on what's beautiful on the inside, we will exude that beauty -- that "curb appeal" on the outside.

Maybe, this post is two-fold -- curb appeal on our homes and curb appeal on the "home of the Holy Spirit" who dwells in us. "Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?" 1 Corinthians 3:16. How's that for realizing what our curb appeal should be. We are not just houses, but we are temples of Almighty God -- how could our curb appeal be less than our BEST?