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Home Seller Tip #3 - Don’t Forget Front Door and Porch

By
Real Estate Agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Anderson Properties TX Real Est. 567774

Home Seller Tip #3 - Don’t Forget Front Door and Porch

 

This is the third post in my series of home selling tips which are aimed to be short in length and cover items which are many times overlooked by sellers and or agents. See list of prior seller tips with links at bottom of this post. The front door and porch should not be ignored or forgotten about by sellers.

 

I have seen on several occasions homes for sale in Katy and the surrounding areas where the front door was a mess and or the whole front porch and entryway appeared to be in poor condition. Many times just a simple cleanup would have made a huge difference in the appearance. A potential buyer walks behind their Realtor and waits while the Supra key or lockbox is attended to and the door is opened. Their eyes cannot miss a poorly maintained door and entryway area. I have seen potential buyer’s immediately have a frown on their face when confronted with this situation. I have even had some folks who tell me they did not want to go inside.

 

Numerous homes in this area have a door or made out of wood or metal or some other material. These doors do require regular maintenance by cleaning with a wood cleaner or other cleaner. If the appearance does not improve by cleaning then the door will require to be  refinished by painting or staining with a varnish top coat. Due to the hot and humid weather here front doors take a beating and it does not take long for a quality door to have a weather beaten appearance.

 

Look at the door’s hardware and consider updating or cleaning  if needed. Also examine the door threshold and fix if needed.

 

The front entryway is another area which I think sellers and their agents  just forget or slip their minds how important this area is to prospective buyers. If there are windows on the sides of the door and or above the door these windows need to be washed or fixed if necessary and be easy to see through. If a porch area exists then the tile or concrete should be cleaned by power washing. Any old newspapers,  advertising flyers, leaves/branches or trash  should be thrown away. The doorbell should work and be tested to make sure it is operating properly.

 

I realize once again my comments are all common sense types but common sense is not so common anymore. Fixing the poor door and entryway problem situations most of the time are  quick and inexpensive ones to correct.

 

Home with poor front door appearance.jpg

 

Here are my other posts in this series :

Home Seller Tip # 1 - Make Sure Front Yard does not Look Like  Desert

 

Home Seller Tip #2 - Good Street Visibility of a Home is Critical



Posted by

© 2016 Bob Gilbert Real Estate

 

Accredited Luxury Home Specialist

 

Note: Katy TX is about 25 -30 miles due West of downtown Houston TX.

 

If you have any questions about Katy Homes for Sale or Katy Homes for Rent in the Katy Texas and/or Sugar Land TX, and/or Cypress TX and/or other surrounding areas, contact me via my cell: 281-904-6772 or via Email:

 

 

 bobgilbert2003@msn.com or bob@bobgilbert.com

or visit me on my web site at

 

http://www.katyhomefinder.com

or visit me on Google plus

and FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/bobgilberttx

 

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Comments (17)

Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

I once worked in an office that had an "Officer of First Impressions."  She was of course a home stager.  She focused a great deal on porches, front doors, and curb appeal.

Aug 12, 2016 07:10 AM
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA
Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

Bob,

Great tip!  and I love what Myrl Jeffcoat said, and the Officer of First Impressions works for many businesses...They can make or break you...A

Aug 12, 2016 08:13 AM
Robert Bob Gilbert
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Anderson Properties - Katy, TX
Your Katy TX ( West of Houston) Real Estate Expert

Myrl Jeffcoat and Ron and Alexandra Seigel - Thank you both for your comments. I think many sellers and their agents  have become spoiled with hyper-selling markets and have gotten complacent. Common sense items are being overlooked or ignored. The market here has ceratinkly slowed down.. Time to go back to basics of home selling.. 

Aug 12, 2016 08:29 AM
Evelyn Johnston
Friends & Neighbors Real Estate - Elkhart, IN
The People You Know, Like and Trust!

We just painted our front door a year or so ago, what a great improvement it was!

Aug 12, 2016 09:02 AM
Larry Johnston
Broker, Friends & Neighbors Real Estate and Elkhart County Subdivisions, LLC - Elkhart, IN
Broker,Friends & Neighbors Real Estate, Elkhart,IN

Hi Robert Bob Gilbert , Even though it's the front door, it still belongs to the curb appeal and needs to be a welcoming sight.

Aug 12, 2016 10:21 AM
Lou Ludwig
Ludwig & Associates - Boca Raton, FL
Designations Earned CRB, CRS, CIPS, GRI, SRES, TRC

Bob

Your post is right on point . . . . The front door and porch is an important factor in presenting the home on a showing.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

Aug 12, 2016 10:49 AM
Debbie Laity
Cedaredge Land Company - Cedaredge, CO
Your Real Estate Resource for Delta County, CO

This is a great series, Bob. I honestly think a lot of people forget about cleaning the hardware on the door. It really does get a lot of use and it gets dirty. 

Aug 12, 2016 11:09 AM
Debbie Reynolds, C21 Platinum Properties
Platinum Properties- (931)771-9070 - Clarksville, TN
The Dedicated Clarksville TN Realtor-(931)320-6730

I am enjoying your series too Bob and like you say common sense doesn't always prevail.

Aug 12, 2016 11:23 AM
Hannah Williams
HomeStarr Realty - Philadelphia, PA
Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376

Robert Bob Gilbert  Makes so much sense  it is the first impression which is lasting

Aug 12, 2016 11:29 AM
Endre Barath, Jr.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Beverly Hills, CA
Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002

Bob I agree front doors as well as Garage Doors are very important, they make a statement, before you even walk into the home, Endre

Aug 12, 2016 02:53 PM
Noah Seidenberg
Coldwell Banker - Evanston, IL
Chicagoland and Suburbs (800) 858-7917

Bob, great tip. The first impressions are indeed so important. Great series.

Aug 12, 2016 03:05 PM
Gabe Sanders
Real Estate of Florida specializing in Martin County Residential Homes, Condos and Land Sales - Stuart, FL
Stuart Florida Real Estate

Hi Bob.  I showed a home with an incredibly dirty front door yesterday.  We almost didn't even go into this home.  Needless to say, it didn't make my customer's short list.

Aug 12, 2016 09:44 PM
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

I hope home sellers will read your post and take your advice. Thanks for the tip.

Aug 12, 2016 10:29 PM
Robert Bob Gilbert
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Anderson Properties - Katy, TX
Your Katy TX ( West of Houston) Real Estate Expert

Thank you everyone for your comments. Front door and entryway  appearance is important.  

Aug 14, 2016 04:47 AM
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Bob, great tips and have to say most homeowners come into their home thru the garage and never SEE their front porch and front door.

Aug 16, 2016 03:43 AM
Sharon & Bruce Walter
Keller Williams Realty Lafayette, IN - Lafayette, IN
West Lafayette homes for sale

Bob, the front entry way really does set the stage for a successful sale.  Sharon likes to add some potted plants to front porches when she stages a home for sale.

Oct 05, 2016 11:27 PM
Robert Bob Gilbert
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Anderson Properties - Katy, TX
Your Katy TX ( West of Houston) Real Estate Expert

Bruce Walter - Now added potted plants is a great idea and thanks for the tip. 

Oct 06, 2016 05:44 AM