Curb Appeal

When preparing to put your home up for sale, your first concern is the home's exterior. If the outside, or "curb appeal" looks good, people will more than likely want to see what's on the inside.
Does your house have curb appeal? Can we improve it to draw the buyer’s in?  Painting the trim or even the front door can help add dollars to the sale? Is the lawn in good shape and neatly edged? Are trees and bushes neatly trimmed? Is there color in the garden such as freshly planted flowers? Remember, creating curb appeal will add dollars to the sale of the home and bring the buyers inside.

• Keep the lawn edged, cut and watered regularly.
• Trim hedges, weed lawns and flowerbeds, and prune trees regularly.
• Check the foundation, steps, walkways, walls and patios for cracks and crumbling.
• Inspect doors and windows for peeling paint.
• Clean and align gutters.
• Inspect and clean the chimney.
• Repair and replace loose or damaged roof shingles.
• Repair and repaint loose siding and caulking.
• In Northern winters, keep walks neatly cleared of snow and ice.
• During spring and summer months consider adding a few showy annuals, perhaps in pots, near your front entrance.
• Re-seal an asphalt driveway.
• Keep your garage door closed.
• Store RVs or old and beaten up cars elsewhere while the house is on the market.
• Apply a fresh coat of paint to the front door.

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Preparing your Home

When the buyer walks into your home, I want the buyers to say WOW!!!! You need for them to visualize how their furniture will look in your space. " As I look through the eyes of a buyer, I will recommend changes that will appeal to comfort and space. The more square footage that you may seem to have will add to the price of your home.

Removing clutter is another way of adding space. This alone will make your house appear bigger and brighter.  I'll help you eliminate anything that gives the appearance of clutter. Countertops should be free and clear. Knickknacks, family photos, and refrigerator magnets need to be removed.  We need the buyer to look at your home and imagine it as their home.

Closets and cupboards should appear large and roomy. Removing the less frequently used items from closets and cupboards, making these areas much more inviting and spacious.  

I will walk through your home room-by-room, I will make suggestions that will help make the sale of your home more profitable. I'll point out how the furniture needs to be arranged and if some pieces of furniture should be removed, rooms that may need to be painted, carpet and flooring that needs to be cleaned or removed or replaced, fixtures that need to be upgraded, windows and curtains that need cleaning or replaced, and any other improvement that I can see to promote the sale.

Making that First Impression

Making a good first impression can mean receiving of serious offers for your home.
Before the first buyer walks in your door, I'll show you how to entice that buyer. Lighting is critical. We'll open the drapes and curtains, open blinds, and add lighting where needed to welcome the buyer. We'll make the home feel peaceful and relaxing by adding soft playing music in the background and introducing pleasing smells in every room by placing fresh flowers, potpourri and air fresheners. Baking a pie or cookies is another common tactic.

·         Replace all burned out light bulbs

• Open all drapes and window blinds
• Put pets in cages or take them to a neighbor
• No dirty dishes in the sink
• No laundry in the washer/dryer
• Clean or replace dirty or worn carpets
• Put on soft music
• Burn wood in the fireplace on cold days, otherwise, the fireplace should be clean

Always look at your home from the buyer's point of view. Be objective and be honest.