PREPARING YOUR HOME FOR A SELL

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The Exterior

Real Estate agents say that short of painting, simply making sure the exterior of the house is clean and looks maintained is very important.

Making your house appear as attractive and friendly as possible from the street is vital. "Curb Appeal" gets the buyers to stop and take notice, but most importantly gets them interested in seeing more of your home. It will be hard to get buyers interested in seeing the interior of your home and all of its potential if the exterior of your home creates a negative first impression.

Here are some tips to making your home more attractive:

• Clear away any litter between the street curb and your front door
• Remove any oil stains from the driveway
• Repair any cracks or broken part of the driveway or walkway
• Clear bikes and toys from the driveway. (When showing the house, keep driveway free of cars)
• Remove weeds and grass growing in walkway
• Trim back shrubs protruding into the walkway
• Trim the shrubs away from house windows (for security and to make interior rooms brighter)
• Weed the flower beds and add a layer of mulch
• Prune dead branches and pull back anything creeping across the household
• Cut the grass
• (Autumn) Rake the leaves
• (Winter) Shovel snow. Salt or sand icy area
• Dispose of any pet debris
• Wash down vinyl siding, if necessary
• If the house is wood, scrape and paint required areas
• Clean out the gutters
• Repair or replace gutters and downspouts
• Repair any parts of the roof which could be leaking
• Replace any missing or loose roof shingles & flashing
• Repair any house foundation cracks
• Clean all windows, including those in the garage
• Replace any cracked or broken window glass
• Repair any wood that has decayed
• Replace any bent or bulging window screens
• Repair and/or replace caulking and weather-stripping around windows and doors
• Clean storm windows - have them available
• Confirm that exterior doors lock properly and they open and close easily
• Oil any squeaky door hinges
• Make sure the doorbells are working properly
• Remove any seasonal house lights and ornaments
• Ensure that there is a working light by the front doorbell
• Tighten any wobbly porch or deck railings
• Secure any loose porch or deck floor boards
• Clean the lawn furniture
• Place gardening tools in the garage or basement
• Neatly coil any garden houses
• Property is free of clutter, particularly scattered toys
• Oil gate hinges
• Gates open and close easily
• Repair and/or replace any loose gate or fence posts

The Exterior - Lasting Impressions

• Shutters and front door painted in a spectacular color which complements the exterior of the house
• An all-season wreath on the front doorbell
• An attractive door mat
• Flowers clustered around a lamppost or mailbox
• Window boxes under windows and/or along railings (Winter: drape pine boughs across the empty boxes)
• Hanging planters
• Groupings of tubs with flowers on porches and decks (Winter: plant small evergreen trees in tubs)
• Wood chips around trees and shrubs
• Brightly colored bird houses
• A hammock in the trees
• Filled bird feeders
• An open umbrella above your deck furniture
• A chart outlining the location and names of all trees, shrubs, vines, perennials and bulbs on the property