Maybe you “shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover,” but, in the real estate arena Buyers do judge houses from their exteriors. Serious buyers will spend several minutes looking at the outside of your house before they even step inside. Many of us focus on the interior of the house when getting prepared to sell. This makes sense, of course, since buyers focus on interior photos when deciding whether to consider or eliminate a property. Once they make the trip to the house, however, it’s the outside that makes the first impression. Here are our top tips for elevating your exterior to impress buyers:
1. Exterior Lighting – This is one of the most overlooked “staging” items in a house. While many of us spend time updating the lighting fixtures inside, few of us understand the importance of updating exterior lighting. If the exterior lighting, walkway lampposts, front door wall sconces, and/or garage lighting is dated then it’s time to replace them. Make sure you keep with the “theme” of your interior. For example, if your interior is modern then you don’t want to pick Colonial style brass fixtures.
2. Front Steps and Walkway – You may have become accustomed to the greenish tint on your concrete steps or the degradation of grout lines on your brick steps, but buyers notice these items immediately. Power washing, re-grouting, and a general freshening will go a long way in letting buyers know that you care about the maintenance of your property. Likewise, picking weeds from brick walkways, sweeping the path, and trimming back shrubbery will give your property a manicured look. It’s no fun to bushwhack your way to a front door and climb up steps that are neglected. Remember, the agent is leading the way and has to spend a minute or so unlocking the house so buyers have time to scrutinize the exterior while they wait to go inside.
3. Front Door, Storm Door/Screen Door – This seems obvious but many of us access our house from the garage so we never bother to go through the front door. If your storm door or screen door needs repair then repair or replace it. If your front door paint is faded then it’s time to repaint. Most importantly, the hardware on your front door can “date” your house. Upgrade and update your front door handle and lockset. There’s nothing worse than buyers watching their Realtor struggle with an outdated lockset to open the door to the house.
Once a buyer makes a commitment to set up an appointment and visit the property then the exterior becomes one of the most scrutinized parts of the house tour. If you want a professional design opinion on any of these tips, contact us to see how to get your property in tip top shape for the Spring market.
Are you afraid that you missed out on selling your house for the “highest price ever?” Well, fear not. We have been helping sellers get top dollar long before the meteoric rise in sale prices over the last few years. Our “Prep for Success” program provides a roadmap to maximizing your house’s value.
“You can’t judge a book by its cover” is a well-known idiom that simply does not apply to real estate. Unfortunately, buyers do judge your house. If you wonder what they say we recommend binge watching Love It Or List It on HGTV. Your house may be eliminated, or, even worse discounted in the buyer’s eyes well before they ever visit.
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.
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.
Let’s make it easy, pack up your house! Yes, this is the “one thing” you need to do during the home selling process – start packing and keep packing! On the Weaver Team, Jennie and I have moved several times and we understand the struggles, indecision, and fatigue that creeps in when you have to pack and move an entire household of items, furniture, dishes, sports equipment, pots, pans, food processors, etc., from one house to another.
The Weaver Team 