I have found that home sellers often miss one vital aspect of their home sale, and I’d like to share it with you.

It is not earth shattering, but it is commonly underplayed and misunderstood, and it will cost you points on the invisible scorecard that prospective  buyers have in their mind when looking at your home.

You don’t need to make this mistake.

In the effort to clean, organize, maybe do some improvements, and get the house ready so a good buyer can make the right offer, home sellers focus on the house they live in, and do what they can.  But what about the impression that buyers have before they walk inside your home?

I am, of course, referring to the home’s external appearance, including the landscaping, the yard and deck and/or patio if there is one, the look of the external surface (siding, etc), as well as the front door.

No matter how spotless and attractive the inside may be, the buyer will start their judgment of your home by the emotions that kick-in when they first see the home and walk up to it.  If it feels a little off, or a little less than crisp and well-maintained, that is the emotional base on which they are starting to see the inside of the home.  For many buyers, if they see too much they don’t find attractive on the outside, they are already half-way down the road of putting your home out of consideration.

With even a modest effort, you can have a home with enough “curb appeal” to “pre-condition” your prospective buyers to see the inside of your home in a far more positive light.

What should you do?  Here are a few simple steps to work through to get the outside in “ready to sell” condition.

1 – Consider how much if any budget you have.

2 – Remove anything that does not look good….just declutter the whole yard.

3 – Get an opinion or two on how the yard and exterior might be improved, from a few folks whose opinion you value.

4 – Get your “to do” list of what you will do written, and go about each item, one by one.

5 – Depending on your exterior surface, consider getting a power wash done, and include the pavement areas close to the house.  Most homes look significantly better, and years younger, when the outside surfaces are spotless.

6 – Keep the grass cut and edged, and when you can afford it, consider a few strategic landscaping touches to set your home apart.

All of this effort is for one purpose: to give you the best financial return on a property that you have worked very hard to acquire.  Let it give back what you deserve by giving it the exterior attention it needs.  When Settlement Day arrives, you will be glad you made the extra effort!

We have helped countless home owners get the inside and outside ready to get their best sale price.  Even if you are just in the home sale consideration stage and would like an opinion on what to do or not do, we’d be glad to offer our perspective.  Be in touch and let us know how we can help.