This is probably one of the most important aspects in Staging and Selling a home. You must draw that person out of the car, unto the sidewalk and up to the front door. Color, landscaping, walkway, driveway, neighbors... all give a feel to the home. In order to show the home to a global buyer, it must look pristine from the street to the doorknob.
If a home is taking longer to sell than the average there may be a good reason. What is the first thing you notice when you drive up to the home? How does the home make you feel? Do you want to get out and see it? How does it look compared to the other homes in the neighborhood? These are questions you need to ask yourself when preparing your home for sale.
Well, you can't change the neighborhood, and you probably didn't budget for a complete front yard makeover. So what can you do?
Here is a start:
Walk across the street or as far way as you can. View your home by at least 3 angles such as the right side, front and center and left side. Now take a really good look at it.
#1. Can you see it? This sounds funny but if you can't see your home, you can't sell it. Trees and shrubs are great and should be trimmed so that you can still see the house. I usually suggest trimming trees up to the rain gutter line or the top of the highest window. Shrubs should follow a same line as the bottom of a window trim. If a lot of trimming needs to be done, do it several weeks before so that the plants have a chance to recover.
#2. How is the paint? Is it a neutral color? Does it flow with the rest of the homes on the street? Painting your house bright Blue will attract attention for sure, but not when you are selling. Remember, with global buyers... neutral is key here. Start with the trim if you can't paint the whole house, especially around the front door and front porch. It can be as simple as painting the front door a different color. That can be a quick and easy fix.
#3. How is the driveway? Are there cracks, oil stains, garbage cans? The driveway is the largest hard area near the home, the material and look of the driveway and garage have a huge impact on curb appeal. Clean it up and clear everything off.
#4. Is your walkway to the front door defined? Does it lead buyers to the front door or front entry? Make sure people know where your front door is, and then work on drawing people toward the front door. If the front entry area has a patio, create an outdoor sitting area.
#5. How is the landscaping? Make sure that the grass is well watered, edged, and mowed. Flowers, flowers and more flowers. These little pops of color make us happy and cheerful. Add some pots near the garage and plant away.
Curb appeal is really part of the whole package, which means the small details are as important as the big picture. A manicured front yard means a manicured home in a buyer's eyes.
Finally, don't forget to tidy up. Remove the garbage cans, hide the hose, pick up the paper, etc. Curb appeal means a place that looks neat and clean, the kind of place you'd like to live.
This is the first in a series of Blogs for Preparing your Home for Sale.
Lori Kim Polk
Artful Journey Designs and Staging...Exceeding your Expectations!
I am so excited about this nomination... Please vote for me, I so appreciate it! Please click HERE to vote for me!
;)
;)
