Increase the curb appeal of your home

In today's tight real estate market home sellers need a very advantage they can get to get top dollar for their home. One of the easiest ways to do this is to increase the "curb appeal" of your home. Curb appeal is quite simply cleaning up the outside of your home and property to give the buyers a good immediate first impression. There are many things you can do to increase the curb appeal. Some simple things are make sure the bush's are trimmed and the lawn is mowed. Nothing looks worse then unmowed lawn and bush's that are growing wild!

Another tip to help your home show better is to open up your rooms. Since you will be moving anyway start to box up unnecessary items in your home to make rooms appear larger and more open. It also makes it easier for the new owners to visualize how their furniture, etc will look in your house.

If your home is going to be vacant while you try to sell it, hire a local landscaping company to help with routine maintenence. Mowing the lawn, keeping plants watered, weeding, etc.

Spread some fresh mulch, plant some brightly colored flowers. A little bit of effort goes a long way in increasing curb appeal.

Do you have pets? If so, you should consider moving your pets outside before showing your home to prospective buyers.
Even if your pets are house trained some buyers may feel that your house isn't clean simply because a pets lives inside.

On a survey taken by real estate professionals, touching up the trim on the house will enhance curb appeal. If your home is in need of exterior painting, try touching up the windows and trim of your home.

Brighter and lighter colors always make rooms look larger. If you have rooms with off colors, consider repainting them to a neutral colors.

A clean and neat exterior will let the potential buyer know that you have kept the house in good repair. Hire a window washing service to professionally clean windows and clear away cobwebs and debris.

Work on your landscaping beds, add some colorful flowers (depending on the time of year) and try to create a peaceful, yet beautiful environment. Make the front walk to your front door appear beautiful and inviting. Edge around all of the walks, the driveway, patio (if possible), and everywhere else that edging can be done. Rake all leaves and dispose of during applicable seasons. Fill all bare spots in the yard with new grass seed. Check on your mailbox and replace or re-paint if needed. Replace, repaint, or re-tarnish your address numbers that are located on your home, mailbox and/or curb by the street.

One trick used by seasoned realtors is to have the house smell appealing when it is shown to potential buyers. A fresh smelling home can easily be accomplished with scented candles. Be sure and turn on the furnace fan to circulate the scent throughout the home about 1 hour before the showing is scheduled.

It is important to remember that shrubs and bushes really never stop growing. Overgrown shrubs can obscure the actual size and appeal of your home.

One way to increase the curb appeal of your home is to hire a stager. They can give you professional advise on how to stage your home to make it more attractive to buyers.

» DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this article on 'Increase the curb appeal of your home' is a collection of contributions by licensed mortgage professionals and is not the opinion of Broker Outpost LLC. Always consult a licensed professional before applying for a mortgage.