Don’t forget to spruce up the outside of your home.
Let’s talk about getting your house ready for sale….the outside. Recently I’ve seen some homes that have been completely renovated or partially renovated BUT for some reason the outside has been neglected. We are now allowed to post many more photos on MLS and realtor.ca. This allows buyers to see more angles of each room and all the details that have been fixed, refreshed, reorganized, etc. However if you have gone to the trouble, time and cost of doing all of these but forget to spruce up the outside you are doing yourself a huge disservice. Please I beg you, take a few moments and look at the outside of your home. The pictures of the inside will always draw the buyers to go and look at your house. If your house isn’t as jazzy when we pull up it will give the buyers pause. The curb appeal of your house is just as important, as it is the buyers first opportunity to form an opinion. Here are a few tips that I feel will help.
- Landscape. I don’t mean go all out like House and Home magazine. You should clean up any old leaves or weeds that are hanging around the front. Sweep the porch or stairs. Even if you don’t like flower beds plant a few shrubs or buy some plants in pot. Then you can put some nice mulch around those areas. I bet you can even hire a local teen to assist you.
- Paint. You don’t need to go all out but if you have board and batten or wood around your windows please make sure it isn’t peeling. Do a quick paint to freshen it up. If your front or back doors for that matter are lacking some pizazz paint your door. That is a very cheap fix and will add a lot of colour.
- Windows. Clean, clean, clean. I think these are sometimes overlooked as you look out of them everyday! However when I bring a buyer into your home if we are looking out a cloudy window it will make it appear grungy and darker in the room then it probably is. If you are like me and window cleaning is one of your least favourite jobs then hire a professional. Whatever you decide to do make sure you clean the inside, outside and the screens.
These seem like minor things but trust me they will truly add to the overall appearance of your home.
If you would like to see some before and after please check out my video.