First impressions mean a lot especially if you're trying to sell your home. Time and effort should be invested into your house for the needed repairs and cleanup both inside and out. All homes can use some sprucing up and fixing, and with the right attitude and plan your house can go onto the market looking sharp and neat, and you can feel more confident that it will find that perfect buyer in a timely manner.
The outside appearance of your home can mean the difference between selling it or not. When trying to ready your house for showing it to potential buyers you need to become a curb appeal inspector so to speak.
Curb appeal is how your home presents itself to the prospective buyer, and it is one of the key factors that will draw many people into looking at your house, and increasing the chances of selling your home.
Remember too that not only will your front yard and house draw attention, but many lookers will often quickly pull into a driveway to see if they can see the perspective of the back.
Your curb appeal should begin with a curb side view of how your house looks. View your house at different times of the day because light intensities will help you notice the different aspects that need attention.
Go out into the road and approach your house and write down its positive and negative aspects. Take note of any repair and maintenance work that needs to be done, and look for ways to enhance the positive and improve the negative.
Once you have made a check list of the curb appeal begin with the overall maintenance of the yard both front and back. Drastic improvement can be seen by mowing, weed eating, raking, trimming trees, and eliminating blown trash from the road, or unsightly visible garbage cans.
Take the time to power spray siding and brick, and any other concrete area outside your house. Look on top of your house and fix any loose shingles or hanging gutters or leaning vent pipes.
Dirty screens and windows need to be cleaned too, and do a little polishing on mail boxes and front door house numbers. Window seals should be inspected for cracking, and dirty window boxes should be painted and replaced with new flowers for the season.
Fenced areas whether wooden, metal or plastic should be inspected for dirt, cracking and peeling paint, and promptly fixed so your house will not present a run down and dingy look. Consider too that improvements can be made by eliminating obstructive views of your house, such as trees, poles or large unattractive lawn decorations too.
New lighting fixtures add a warm glow for buyers at night. Approach maintenance work with the right view point of if it needs to be fixed it will be improved.
Moving from the outside to inside is the goal. Now that you are inside look around and become a home living inspector. Make your house as home friendly as it can be without the clutter.
Organize and store unnecessary closet junk. Wipe down walls in mildew areas such as the kitchen, bathroom and laundry. Clean and organize their supply places and wipe off cabinets.
Ceiling fans, lights and mirrors when cleaned will add a real glow to the inside, and will shine brightly outside, if you have done your proper outside curb inspection. Take down curtains and shades and clean according to directions.
If necessary replace existing shades if they are to dirty to clean. Always save cleaning floors for last whether it is carpet, linoleum or tile. Don't forget to spray an air neutralizer, and to leave the heating or cooling system on. Stale or smoke filled air will turn most potential buyers off.
If your house smells clean buyers will know that you care, and in effect this means that your house will not sit on the market long because of buyer confidence.
Preparing your house to sell does not have to be an intimidating process. Start with a plan and stick to it. If necessary ask for others input, such as a realtor or friends and neighbors. Think deep cleaning and maintenance, and as you wait for your home to sell continue to keep up all the improvements you have made, so you will be closing on a new house in record time. Jeff Melancon, as your real estate agent, will provide you suggestions and tips to keep your house appealing.
