Getting ready to sell your house? Don’t forget that first impressions are the most important. Want to leave your buyers jaws’ on the curb? Before they drive up for the first time to see your property, make sure to check off this to-do list of essentials.
A new coat of paint. The time tested refreshment coat of paint is still hard to beat for value and effect, but making your house look its best involves more than a few quick passes with the roller-brush. Tailor your color selection to the type and character of your house, as well as to the natural landscape. Southwestern properties, for example, typically benefit from desert yellows, adobes, or even sunset raspberry shades with subtle accents. Forest cottages do best with rugged and woodsy greens, browns, and rich red highlights. If the previous owners had an avant-garde sense of home décor, this is your chance to undo their adventurous strokes. Many hardware stores now offer computerized house-painting assistance that will allow you to experiment with various color schemes in the safety of a kiosk before committing the time, money and paint crews to a potential color clash disaster.
Flowers never hurt. Colorful, healthy bunches of flowers are one of those little touches most likely to make your visitors describe your property as “charming”. Considering how cheaply you can install hardy varieties of flora, there’s no reason not to put a little time into sprucing up your garden before potential buyers start dropping by. The state of the lawn, similarly, says a lot about the overall health of the property. A well cut and healthy looking front lawn shows you are taking your property and the sale very seriously.
Does something nasty catch your eye? Your buyers will see it, too. Take a walk around your property and also be sure to stroll up to view the front in the same way your buyers will when they arrive. See anything glaring, like a cracked window, brown patch of grass or pet messes? So will your buyers! Taking the time to make sure little things are in place and everything is looking its best communicates more than just a beautiful house on a visual level. It also demonstrates to your buyers that you are a conscientious person who has properly cared for the property inside and out. It can never hurt to ask neutral friend to pop over and tell you what first catches their eye. Someone who hasn’t been involved in the presentation process can offer you a fresh perspective.
Entryway basics. The doorways, windows, and garages should all be thoroughly cleaned, touched up and wiped down. The front doorway is probably the first thing many homeowners inspect when scoping out a new place. Installing shiny brand new door hinges are cheap way to put your best foot forward when your front door swings open for the first buyer.
Little things stick. A new artsy mailbox or a fresh set of address numbers can stand out and stick in your buyers’ minds long after they leave.
More articles:
- Give Your Home That ‘Wow’ Factor: A Buyer’s Dream
- Four Ways to Rake in the Big Bucks While Selling Your Home
- Twenty Things That Can Alter Your Home’s Value
- For Sale by Owner – Keeping All of your Big Haul
- Ensuring the Neighborhood Disgrace won’t Hurt the Value of your Place
- Updating your Older Home to Sell Quickly
- Smart Home Improvements that will Work for You
- Sharing the Burden of a Down Payment