If you’re getting ready to sell your home, you need to give serious thought to what it looks like from the outside, as well as its functionality—curb appeal is a real thing. We often get questions regarding whether pavement and hardscaping can help a home sell.
Will a paved driveway add value to your home in Santa Rosa, CA? For the most part, yes. Here’s how to know when to invest and when to skip it:
- Look at your neighborhood: A big indicator of whether you need to spring for a paved driveway or whether you can get away without one is how the other homes in your neighborhood are set up. If they all have paved driveways and you’re the lone holdout, it’s probably time that you joined the crowd. It’s more than giving the buyer what they want—if you’re the only place without a paved driveway, they’ll instantly wonder what else is “wrong” with or outdated about your home. On the other hand, if everyone else has an unpaved driveway—which is common in rural parts of town—you can set yourself up for success and a higher ROI with a paved driveway, although the need may not be as urgent.
- Evaluate your existing driveway: What does your existing driveway look like? If it’s crumbling and cracking with abandon, yes, you might need to replace it. However, if you have an asphalt driveway with minor cosmetic damage, a simple resurfacing job might be all you need to get your driveway in sellable shape.
- Think about replacing gravel: If your driveway is gravel, put “paved driveway” on the top of your to-do list. Although gravel is perfectly suitable in many areas of the country, places where the weather can be strange and unpredictable make them a lot less valuable. Flash floods, heavy rains and other weather issues plague Santa Rosa. Having a paved driveway will help protect your home against any other problems.
- Which material to use: In our opinion, the best driveway paving material is asphalt. It’s about half as expensive as concrete and lasts twice as long, making it a great way to get the maximum return on your investment. If you install and properly maintain an asphalt driveway, it can last over two decades.
The bottom line: when you install an asphalt driveway, you can expect to recoup 100 percent or even more than you invested in the first place. It’s a smart way to make your home look and feel more polished and functional. It gives a great first impression to potential buyers, especially because you’ve just taken one more thing off their move-in to-do list—and if you’re doing it for your own benefit, we can guarantee you’ll love driving over a brand-new driveway much more than you did your old one.
Ready to install a paved driveway? Sikes Asphalt Group Inc. can help you increase your resale value in Santa Rosa, CA—call us today to get started on the process!
