Selling with Curb Appeal
Create a great first impression with your home
Curb appeal gets prospective buyers to stop, make a note of the listing agent, and schedule an appointment to see the inside of your home. The following checklist will help you prepare to attract buyers who will make the offer you can´t refuse.
- Clean, clean, clean! Wash the exterior of the building and sweep the porch. Wash away stains and mildew with a mild bleach and water solution. Wash all the windows.
- Touch up paint and trim. Repaint if your exterior paint job is older than five years. Check current trends in magazines and choose color accordingly. And don´t stop with the walls. If the porch would benefit from a paint job, paint that too. Consider resurfacing with brick or staining the concrete. Don´t forget the front door, make it pop. A little color can be a good thing.
- Check the roof. Make sure it´s clean and there is no build up of moss or leaves.
- Depending on style, add shutters or awnings to windows.
- Check all windows to see how interior window treatments appear from the street. They should appear similar and preferably one color.
- Consider adding window boxes with seasonal flowers. If you do this, make sure you water and groom the plants regularly to keep them looking tidy. Add planters to the porch.
- Prune and trim all the plants and shrubs to give them a pleasing shape.
- Repair the sidewalk.
- Mow and edge the lawn once a week. Water regularly. Use a weed and feed to make your yard look lush and under control.
- Dead-head the flowers and weed beds. Add fresh mulch. It will look good and your plants will be much happier.
- Pick up trash not only around your house but your neighbor´s too.
If you don´t have the time or interest, hire someone to get your exterior spiffed up and then get a neighborhood teenager to do the maintenance.
With the outside polished and shined, you´ll have plenty of inquiries. Then all you need to do is make sure the inside lives up to the exterior billing.
Buying or selling? Find a real estate pro at Hearth Real Estate .
