If you are selling your house you may hope that potential buyers are familiar with the idiom “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.” Meaning, in real estate parlance, that you’re hoping the buyers will overlook the sagging gutters, cracked driveway, tired garage doors, and fall in love the interior of your house.
It’s a fact that your house is being judged by its exterior, the grounds, the lawn, and even the garden gnomes dotting your walkway.
Here are the top 5 exterior items that buyers notice:
Exterior Lights – They should match your indoor “vibe.” If you haven’t updated your exterior lights you may be dating your house.
Gutters – Trust us, worth getting them cleaned, there is nothing more distracting than greenery growing from gutters that need attention.
Porches and Patios – Spruce them up with new furniture cushions, patio pots of seasonal flowers, and even some string lights to make the outdoor space an extension of your living area.
Lawn, Grounds – Get out the rakes, flowers, and mulch, nothing smells better than fresh mulch!
Front Door – Is it time for fresh paint? A new door handle? New welcome mat? This upgrade will make a huge impression.
Looking for more specific ideas for your exterior? Luckily, Jennie is an Accredited Staging Professional and can assess your home’s exterior, as well as interior spaces to help get you the best price in today’s market. Contact us to see how we can help get your home sold!
Vermont is small, our population hovers around 620,000. Yes, that’s the whole state – men, women, children. We have never had a housing “boom” like other states. Demand for housing has outstripped our supply over the last few years. In certain price ranges there are perhaps 40 – 50 buyers looking at the same house.
We all want to get the biggest bang for our buck, especially when it comes to our biggest investment – our home. So how do you get the best price possible when you’re ready to sell? You don’t have to go crazy with expensive renovations, a few small and simple updates can make a big impact.
Truth be told, cooking at my house often involves a smoke alarm. It’s tempting to climb on a step stool to disconnect the pesky alarm, but I have become efficient at opening windows and doors to “fan” the smoke out of the house. Once the smoke clears it’s a good time to check on the rest of the alarms.
A Box of Chocolates. Our local favorite is
Handmade Stoneware Pottery. We love the glazes
This is not your basic checklist! As real estate professionals, this compilation relies on our years of experience to help our clients get “ahead” of many issues that come up when a buyer looks at a house.

Welcome to decorating season! From now through Thanksgiving we will be refreshing our décor to reflect the upcoming season and holidays. This month we want to share our Fall decorating tips. From September through Thanksgiving our clients ask us for decorating tips. Take a quick trip to buy seasonal throw pillows and blanket throws. Stop by your local craft store for twinkle lights and autumn leaf garlands. Here’s what we do:
If you follow our blog you know that the real estate biz is not all glitz and glam as represented in the media. If you watch “Million Dollar Listing” or other such shows you may be lulled into thinking that we drive around in our luxury vehicles all day and host lavish buffets at our listings.
Everyone’s first question about staging their house is, “What should I do with my kitchen countertops?” Most days none of us have our countertops “photo-ready.” Right now my countertop boasts a blender, a toaster, a large white pitcher, a bowl of fruit and bananas and random dishes drying on a dish towel. Yours may have a coffee maker, knife block, canisters, and assorted water bottles. What stays? What goes?