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We are so blind.....

By
Home Stager with Design by Marla

We are so blind...

We look but we don't see.

 

How many times per week do we walk up to the front door of our house?  Do we really see how it looks?  Probably not.

 

I will take my own front entry as an example.  I started to repaint the front door- oh, about 5 years ago.  The door is 80% green, 15% brown (the original color) and 5% white (primer).  The door knob is tarnished and dirty.  The doorbell is rusty.  The "Welcome" mat is missing and the flowers are almost dead.

  

 

 Is that the 1st impression I would like my neighbors to have about my home?  No.  In fact, some of my neighbors may never see the inside of my lovely, well decorated and sometimes clean home.  They do, however, get to see my front porch all the time.

 

Whether you are planning to sell or stay in your lovely home.  Really look at your front porch.  Does it match the interior of your home?  Is it a good preview that makes you want to view the inside of the house?  Or like mine, does it make you want to run away?

 

Here are a few helpful tips to spruce up the curb appeal of your home:

 

  1. Paint the front door. 
  2. Plant some beautiful flowers or get flower bowls.
  3. Buy a new doormat- preferably not one with a cute saying or picture.
  4. Check out your door hardware and doorbell.  Clean it up, if possible.  If not, replace them.
  5. Powerwash your driveway.
  6. Inspect the mailbox and exterior lights.  They are exposed to the elements and tend to get dirty and worn out quicker than interior items.

 

Stay tuned!  After writing this blog, I'm inspired to spruce up my front porch and improve my 1st impression!  I'll post the after pictures.

 

http://www.designbymarla.com/

marla@designbymarla.com

Show All Comments Sort:
Gregory Maley
Sold Buy the Sea Realty & R.E.N.T. - Wilmington, NC
REALTOR, GRI, CBR, SHS, e-PRO, ABR
I was just thinking that my house needs a "sprucing up" this Spring.  I look forward to seeing your after photos.
Jan 29, 2008 02:36 AM
Diane McDermott
Realtor®, GRI, Landis e2 Real Estate, LLC - Charlotte, NC
Charlotte NC Real Estate Market
Very true Marla! My excuse is that I use the side door to go in and out of my house, the only people who see the front door are guests and mail delivery....maybe I should go take a look too!
Jan 29, 2008 02:36 AM
Kimberley Hawley
Hawley Interiors & Staging - Caledon, ON
Hawley Interiors & Staging
So true - we're like the shoe maker's kids! We spend our days (and evenings) telling other people about curb appeal and then neglect our own front door. You've made me very conscious of the fact that I have brown, dry pine boughs shedding on my front walkway!
Jan 29, 2008 02:38 AM
Marla Hofstee
Design by Marla - Burbank, CA
Design by Marla- Home Staging, Burbank & Los Angeles, CA

Gregory,

 

Being a California girl- I forgot about Winter and snow and frozen ground.  May not be the best time for you to plant flowers.  : )

Jan 29, 2008 10:08 AM
Marla Hofstee
Design by Marla - Burbank, CA
Design by Marla- Home Staging, Burbank & Los Angeles, CA

Diane-

At least you have a good excuse for not "seeing".  I wish I could say the same thing!

Jan 29, 2008 10:09 AM
Marla Hofstee
Design by Marla - Burbank, CA
Design by Marla- Home Staging, Burbank & Los Angeles, CA

Kimberly-

 

I have heard that saying. LOL.  Sometimes we get so busy with life that we forget to practice what we preach.

Jan 29, 2008 10:11 AM
Elaine Manes Gage
Home Staging Online Services - Denver, CO
Staging done ONLINE!
Marla-That's great that you used yourself as an example! All people are blind to certain things in their home, and that's why they need us!!!!
Jan 29, 2008 10:30 AM
Michelle Minch
Moving Mountains Design Home Staging, Pasadena, CA - Los Angeles, CA
Home Staging Los Angeles and Orange County, CA
Marla: Glad to see you blogging again. This is a very timely post and you make a lot of good points. Even if you live someplace that weather prevents you from working on the outside of the house you can still be creating a plan for what you want to accomplish once weather permits.
Jan 29, 2008 12:53 PM
Terrylynn Fisher
Dudum Real Estate Group - BuyStageSell.com - Walnut Creek, CA
HAFA Certified, EcoBroker, CRS, CSP Realtor, Etc.
Finally, last summer we finished our front yard after a couple of years of renovation.  It dawned on me one day that I am selling myself as a Staging Specialist and Realtor, and people may be driving by and judging my work by my own home...dahhhh...sometimes the obvious evades us as we get to busy...the plumbers house with the leaky faucet syndrome.
Jan 29, 2008 04:55 PM
Marla Hofstee
Design by Marla - Burbank, CA
Design by Marla- Home Staging, Burbank & Los Angeles, CA

Michelle-

Thanks for the kind words! You are so right- it will be springtime before we know it.

Jan 30, 2008 12:54 AM
Marla Hofstee
Design by Marla - Burbank, CA
Design by Marla- Home Staging, Burbank & Los Angeles, CA

Elaine- So true!  It is hard to be objective about your own home.

Terrylynn-  Well, we can chalk it up to being busy professional and hopefully they (our customer) will buy the excuse.  : /

Jan 30, 2008 12:59 AM
Melissa Marro
Keller Williams First Coast Realty - The Marro Team - Orange Park, FL
Jacksonville Real Estate and Home Staging

I am actually pretty good about repainting my front door every year, but I find I do not sweep or organize my front porch nearly enough.  I will walk by (typically with my hands full) and think to myself that I need to come back out and pick this up, put that away... whatever... it doesn't happen as often as it should.  I tell my clients all the time that if they ever came to my home I would never work again.... but I'm not selling!  When I am, it is a new ball game!

What my front porch looks like in the spring, after my initial spruce up....

    

Jan 30, 2008 01:17 AM
Marla Hofstee
Design by Marla - Burbank, CA
Design by Marla- Home Staging, Burbank & Los Angeles, CA

Melissa,

It looks very lovely!  I don't have a large porch like you do but I will post my after pictures.

Jan 30, 2008 01:26 AM
Janice Sutton
1st Stage Property Transformations - Murrieta, CA
Home Stager - Temecula Murrieta

Great info.

Since I always go in through the garage door I tend to forget about the front door.  I am always surprised and sometimes embarrassed when I go in to my house via the front door.  YIKES! Not always a pretty picture. 

Thanks for the reminder. Gotta go clean up!

Jan 30, 2008 02:33 AM
Marla Hofstee
Design by Marla - Burbank, CA
Design by Marla- Home Staging, Burbank & Los Angeles, CA

Janice-

Good to hear from you!  It's not easy stay on top of everything.  Even for us SuperWomen! LOL

Jan 30, 2008 03:41 AM
Cindy Bryant
Redesign Etc. Home Staging - Houston, TX
"Houston Home Staging Pros"
Since staging, I've found I have let my own home go by the wayside.  Especially the outside.  I still have weeds growing, and we still have to mow this time of year!
Jan 31, 2008 02:52 PM
Kym Hough
www.Staged-to-Sell - Danville, CA
Staged to Sell East Bay - Danville, CA
My front door area is one of my favorite parts of my house. We always get comments and we often sit out there by the pond and read. Its the first part of the house we fixed up when we moved in to our fixer upper that is still being worked on after four years - it never ends
Jan 31, 2008 03:23 PM
Marla Hofstee
Design by Marla - Burbank, CA
Design by Marla- Home Staging, Burbank & Los Angeles, CA

Kym-

That is great! From what I can see from your picture, the front of the house is very inviting!  Keep an eye out for my "after" pictures.

I definitely have to step up  and improve the view from the street!

Jan 31, 2008 03:49 PM