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The surprising most common mistake when listing a property.

By
Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Realty

Contact Bev Ryan at 803-477-4100

www.BevRyanSellsHomes.com

The most commonly overlooked and major error that people make when preparing a home for listing is to leave the front porch in something other than perfect condition.

I can't even begin to count how many times, I have taken clients to see a listing where they are immediately turned off by the condition of the front porch. It is not as though I can distract them from noticing every little defect. When I bring a client to the front porch, I must find the location of the lock box, open it, look at opening instructions and get the door open. If I don't fumble with anything, it may be possible to get inside in a minute. If I have any sort of trouble, it could take several minutes.

Here are some of the things they notice. Rusty or loose railings. Chipped or pealing paint. Steps that need pressure washing. Deteriorated front door hardware (including numbers and knockers). Dead plants or shrubs in planters and flower beds. Dirty glass, hardware or door. Dead bugs or debris. Spider webs. They notice if I find it difficult to get the door unlocked. And every negative little thing that they notice puts them in a negative frame of mind. And that is hardly the way you want to introduce potential buyers to your home.

You want clients to come into your house and fall in love with it. You may well have spent a lot of time and money getting your property staged but if you haven't spent a lot of time on your front porch, you may well be shocked at how this can overcome all the great work elsewhere.

So before you list your property, go stand on the front porch for a couple minutes and notice everything that a potential client may notice. No matter how small or how trivial you think it is.

Turn the front porch into a beautiful, welcoming gateway. Spend some of your staging time and money on the porch. The clients may not notice if your yard is not perfect or if there is some minor imperfection inside your house but they will undoubtedly notice every little defect on your front porch.

It is very easy to turn the front porch into a positive selling feature. It is amazing how many people don't.

If you would like to find out how the Bev Ryan Team can help you to sell your house quickly and for the highest possible price, fill out the form below to send us an email or click on the link to see our website.

www.BevRyanSellsHomes.com

Comments (2)

Charlie Ragonesi
AllMountainRealty.com - Big Canoe, GA
Homes - Big Canoe, Jasper, North Georgia Pros

You are right on the money. This is before they walk in and you have to set the expectation high. I have torn my hair out with some clients that just don't get it .

Jan 29, 2014 04:04 AM
Trisha Bush-LeFore
Preferred Properties Land & Homes - Walla Walla, WA
Providing Realtor Services in the Walla Walla Area

Bev,

Great post! First impressions are soooo important and they can't be changed. I'll share this with my clients and hopefully re-enforce what I've been telling them about the entrance to their home.

Jan 29, 2014 04:20 AM