When preparing your home for sale, planning and preparation can mean more money for you and a faster sale. Plan at least a month or two to ready your home for the market and start with the front yard. Curb appeal can make or break a sale because many buyers might pass up seeing a home that dosen’t look good from the street. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen a home that I thought would be a great match for a buyer simply because the outside looked good. Go to work on your front yard and increase your properties market value. Projects do not have to big or expensive that just have to be done right.
1. Mow the lawn, trim and hedge all bushes and plants, then fertilize and water. In a few weeks the lawn will be green and the plants will be full with new growth.
2. Get rid of dead plants! That includes the collection of potted plants by the front door that have one leaf. It doesn’t matter if the plant is dormant and will come back later. Buyers want to see flowers and green healthy plants.
3. If you have more than three or four potted plants/ containers by your front door, you have too many and it looks cluttered. Don’t let your buyers start to think your home is a mess before they step in the front door by seeing a dozen assorted pots sitting on your porch.
4. Store or move or organize the shoes. Many people remove their shoes before entering their house. A very smart idea and practise, because shoes carry lots of dirt and germs that can soil carpet, but when your selling your home you need to get rid of that pile. Consider a basket with a lid or something that can hold the shoes and keep them out of sight.
5. Get a new door mat or rug and get something big. I can’t tell you how unimpressive a remnant piece of carpet or dirty beaten mat looks.
6. Clean and stain your front porch or driveway. Color looks a lot better than dirty, gray, stained concrete. I’m a big fan of staining concrete because its inexpensive, easy and fast. It’s a four step process of cleaning, bonding, staining and sealing. Stain penetrates the concrete and won’t chip or peal – don’t use regular paint buy concrete stain.
7. Paint or stain your front door. Wood doors lose their color from sun damage. Over time they look beaten and old. Simply cleaning, painting or staining will renew the door remarkably. Inspect the hardware and either polish or replace.
8. Power wash your eaves and remove all the cobwebs, nests, dirt and mold. Everything looks better when it’s cleaned.
9. Update, repair or dress-up your mailbox, porch light fixture and house numbers. You can use spray paint and have the job done in no time.
10. Inpsect the trim on your house and consider painting.
Most of these jobs are under a hundred dollars and can be completed in a weekend, yet they add tremendous value to your home and they attract buyers. If you want to sell your home and get top dollar then don’t hesitate to work on making these improvements to the outside of your house ( I’ll write another article about the inside and backyard jobs). Buyers have a habit of looking for any and everything they can use to reduce the price. Pay attention to the details and stay in control of the situation.
For more selling tips and to find a great house contact me –
Janet McCarthy
858-243-5719
