Here are some fixes that will help create that outside appeal and get you closer to a sale.

1. Paint or stain the front and garage doors, especially if they show any weathering. These are the first visuals where a potential buyer focuses. If garage doors are metal and dented, they may need to be replaced.

2. Any old, basically abandoned sheds or small structures, must be removed, the area graded and the grass replaced.

3. Change any dated, outside light fixtures.

4. Fix that driveway. If it is blacktop, make sure cracks and crumbling areas are dug out and filled and then the whole driveway sealed. If it is cement, have large cracks filled and repaired professionally.

5. Make sure landscaping bricks are in their proper placement. Mowing, weed-whipping sometimes moves them and this is something the homeowner rarely notices, but makes the property look unsightly.

6. Fill in bare dirt under large shade trees. Plant shade-tolerant plants in defined planters or groundcover.

7. All landscaping beds should be cleaned out and updated for the time of year it is in your region. Place new bedding material down.

8. Have trees and bushes pruned and trimmed. If a bush or tree is looking old or about to expire, remove it and replace it with a similar size and type if you can. If there is a tree limb(s) over the roof, have them removed.

9. If the house needs painting and a full paint job is not in the cards; have it touched up professionally in the worst, most visible spots. Paint shutters and fix them if they are hanging crooked.

10. If the house is sided, have it power-washed and have gutters and windows cleaned.

11. Make sure grass is in good shape, weeds are removed, trimming done regularly.

12. Keep garbage and recycle containers inside the garage, along with all toys and equipment. Make sure the garage is neat and organized. Painted walls and floors also go a long way in this area and are inexpensive to do.

13. Decks should be washed and repainted or re-sealed; plantings around them cleaned, weed-free and looking good. 

14. If the roof has missing shingles replace them. 

So to sell the house at top dollar and quickly, make it "appeal" to the many who will be seeing it rather than the few who are looking for a "fixer upper." 

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Beth Paisley | Realtor | Long and Foster Webber and Associates | Winchester VA 22601