“HONEY, STOP THE CAR!”

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BOOSTING YOUR HOME’S CURB APPEAL WILL HELP YOU SELL YOUR HOME

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Thinking about selling your home?  One of the first things you will need to consider is how you can make your home stand out from the other homes on the market.  The first and best way to do that is to boost your home’s curb appeal, defined as “the attractiveness of the exterior of a home as viewed from the street”. 

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Consider this.  Most buyers today begin their home search online. The very first thing they see is a photo of your home’s exterior.  This is your chance to make a good first impression – to “virtually” invite them in to see more photos of your home.  Don’t settle for a “so-so” look.  Make those buyers say, “Wow!”  Their next step is to drive by your home.  Your home’s curb appeal can make it a “car stopper”.  That is when they want to see the rest of the home. 

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So how can you enhance your home’s curb appeal and get more buyers interested?  The following outline will give you some simple budget-friendly suggestions.

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Cleaning:  Remove debris from your roof and gutters.  Power wash your home, driveway, walkways, deck, porch, garage doors, and fences.  Polish or replace your door knocker, door hardware, house numbers.  Wash all windows.  Clean or update exterior light fixtures.  Make sure all light bulbs work and match.  Regularly sweep or use a blower on sidewalks, porches, driveway.

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Tidying (“de-cluttering”) your yard:  Pick up and put away children’s and pets’ toys.  Remove all extraneous lawn ornaments and items that “clutter” your lawn.  Tuck your trash bins out of sight.  Neatly roll up the garden hose and store it in an attractive pot.  Camouflage your HVAC unit from street view by using landscaping or a fence/lattice panel.

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Lawn Maintenance:  Rake leaves, pick up branches, pine cones and pet waste.  Remove dead branches from trees, “limb up” (prune) lower tree branches so your home can be seen. Trim and shape bushes/hedges.  Mow your lawn regularly.  Seed/fertilize/water your lawn.  Edge the driveway, walkways, flower beds.  Weed all plant beds, pull out dead plants, insert a few “spots of color” with flowers or other foliage.  Freshen all mulch – mix some new with the old.

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Paint:  Put a fresh coat of paint on railings, trim, porch floors.  Do your shutters complement your home?  Consider painting them a color that coordinates with your roof and your home’s siding or brick.  Give the front door a fresh coat of paint.  Consider a color that will make your home’s exterior “pop”.

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Final Touches:  Buy a new “Welcome” mat.  Clean or purchase colorful cushions for outdoor furniture.  Add a grouping of three different-sized pots with colorful flowers and foliage near the front door to accentuate that focal point. String some trendy outdoor lights up around your deck or patio to give the appearance of a great place to entertain.  Dress up the mailbox.  Paint it and put some plants around the post.  All front windows should have neutral white or off-white window treatments – blinds, shades or curtains -- to give a neat, uniform appearance.  Install stepping stones to your front door if you do not have a walkway.  You want buyers to enter the front door of your home.

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There is one final thing to remember about improving your home’s curb appeal.  Not only does an attractive exterior make your home stand out from all the others, it sends a message to the prospective buyer -- you are taking very good care of your home!

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If you need a real estate professional to provide you with more information about selling your home or if you need a free market analysis, please contact me:

Belinda Faulkner, Broker                                                                                                                                            

Moorefield Real Estate