Improving your home’s exterior
When you’re getting ready to sell your home, it’s easy to spend all of your preparation time on the inside. It’s a mistake, however, to overlook the way your home appears to prospective buyers when they drive down your street. Improving your home’s exterior doesn’t have to be expensive. The plus side of spending some time on your home’s exterior is that you may be able to score more showings, which can lead to a quicker sale.
Improving your home’s exterior can help sell your house
The same basic rules that you apply to the inside of your home also work for improving your home’s exterior.
A clean house will sell faster! Spend some time cleaning up and decluttering the exterior of your home. Pick up all of the trash and debris and clear out the gardens. If the front of your home is overgrown with weeds, or landscaped plants that have gotten out of control, it’s time to take action. Remove the weeds and prune back or remove overgrown landscaping. This allows prospective buyers to get a good look at the home. Clearing overgrowth is especially important for smaller houses and houses on small lots. If you need to replace landscaping, try low growing flowering annuals, dwarf shrubs and container gardens.
Make repairs. Right-sizing your landscaping is only the first step toward improving your home’s exterior, especially if the overgrowth was hiding deferred maintenance. Fix cracks in the foundation and paint the block, fix broken steps and railings, and repair or replace broken gutters and downspouts. Remove old, cracked caulk and replace it. Wash the windows and repair broken or torn screens. Wash (or power wash) the siding to remove moss, dirt and other debris. Seal cracks in the driveway. Once you’ve finished with repairs, look for other low-cost opportunities to improve your home’s appearance. Adding shutters, new trim and new gutters or downspouts isn’t really expensive, but it can make a huge difference in the appearance of your home.
Keep up appearances. Mow and water your lawn regularly, apply weed killer and repair bare spots in the lawn. Put landscaping fabric on the garden surface and cover it with mulch to discourage weed growth and help your desirable landscaping plants retain moisture. Edge the walkways, sidewalks and driveways to remove lawn overgrowth and accumulated organic debris. It will also give a “finished” look to your front yard. If you’re trying to sell in the fall or winter, keep the leaves raked and the walkways clear of snow and ice.
Don’t forget about your outbuildings. Spend some time sprucing up the garage, shed or barn. Make basic repairs, clean, paint, and declutter to improve a potential buyer’s first impressions. Get rid of trash that tends to accumulate in and around these spaces to help buyers get an accurate impression of how much space your property can offer.
If you’re interested in selling your home in the Dover/New Philadelphia area, please contact us at Novosel Real Estate. We’ll be happy to help you prepare your home for sale, and throughout the listing and sales process.