First Impressions:  The Exterior

What if today is the day that people are coming to see your home?...Selling a home is all about impressions... 

What will those folks that pull up into your driveway say about your home?  What will they notice that is good?  What will cause them to turn and run? 

There are many things that you should carefully consider about a home before you put it on the market to sell.  The first impression of the home is the exterior.  Here’s a checklist to help you insure that your home is just what they are looking for!

1. What is immediately noticeable?  Walk out to the front street, and look at the house from the perspective of someone just driving up.  What sticks out that would cause them to think twice?  These are the things you should take care of first. 
   
   However, if you've lived in a house for a long time, there's a good chance that certain negative things may have become "invisible" to you over time.  So it's always good to have a friend or relative--whose opinion you trust--along for a good 'once-over' of your home.
   
   
2. Landscaping.  Make sure that you spend some time (or money if you don't want to do it yourself) on the landscaping.  If you have enough time, reseed the lawn for   Insure that it is nice and green as well.  The bushes, trees and other garden aspects should be neat, free of debris and growing properly.  Trim the bushes.  Keep it uncluttered.
   
   Depending on the property and your budget, it may pay off to invest in some professionally done landscaping.  Just use common sense about how much you stand to profit vs. how much you plan on spending. 
   
   A professionally landscaped yard--including a stone waterfall, pond, and other fancy add-ons--may be well-worth it for a larger home in a upscale neighborhood.  But for most people, just making sure everything is neat and trimmed is fine.
   
   
3. Get any toys, bicycles, and any other "extra" stuff put away.  While this may seem like a "no-brainer," you should take some time to make sure that all the stuff that is normally in your yard is put away.  Now, don’t just shove it into the garage either.  You should carefully organize it all...  
   
   This shows that you have taken care of your home throughout the time you have owned it, and that your home is not short on storage space (even if it is!)
   
   As a matter of fact, it is well-worth renting a storage facility for a few months, if necessary, to clean out your cluttered garage, closets, and any excess furniture that you may have collected over the years.  This has proven to help sell your home fast; Your home will seem bigger this way, as well.
   
   Then, when you've sold it, you are already one big step closer to moving into your new place.  Because lots of your stuff is ready for unloading from storage directly into the moving vehicle.
   
   
4. The driveway and sidewalks near your home should be clean, free of any weeds and free of cracks.  If you can patch any holes or cracks, this will help.  Give it a good cleaning too.
   
   
5. Gutters, downspouts, lights, window sills, the roofing and siding.  Make sure these mostly cosmetic things look at least "o.k."
   
   
6. If your home's exterior needs painting--if the paint is chipping--this is an obvious place to improve your home's appearance and fetch your asking price. 

Taking the time to do all of these things will help you to easily and inexpensively improve the overall look of the home.  When someone drives past the home and sees the ‘for sale’ sign, they'll be greeted with an inviting property.  They will want to pull into the driveway and walk right in, in order to find out what else the home has to offer.  Selling a home begins with putting the best product on the market that you can...

Next, your Home's Interior...