Selling your home? First impressions are everything!

One of my favorite services is helping clients pull their homes together for a sale!

I take a lot of pleasure in making a home show like a model for the owners to enjoy until the for sale sign flips over to "sold."  I love it when the client tells me that they like what I have done so much that they don't want to sell the home.

Spring is the time of year when (in Florida) lots of part-time residents are thinking about putting their comes and condos on the market.  It is also when homeowners hopefully try to sell their home over the summer and try to get settled before school starts. 

At least that is the way it was before the market took a tumble.  Times are uncertain.  Money is tight.  That home could sit on the market for a while.  But I still receive lots of calls asking me what I can do to help a home sell and to increase the resale value.

We all know that first impression are everything.  Sometimes it is the only chance you have to make the sale.  And sometimes the best ideas are the simplest.

So, with my tools of the trade in hand, ready to share some secrets of how to beat out every other house for sale on the same street, I show up at the front door.  But the appointment actually starts the minute I pull up in front of the house and step out of my car.  Everyone is so concerned with the inside (and rightly so) that they often forget that the first impression begins with the front yard.  So, before I share some guidelines for the interior in a future blog,  let's run through some quick, inexpensive, totally effective ways to get prospective buyers in the front door!

And even if you are not selling your home, try these tips for an easy spring refresher to your home: 

Replace your mailbox.  It is so inexpensive and the first thing buyers see when they get out of the car.  And you want them to stop instead of passing by your pouse for the next for sale sign on the block!

Replace your house numbers.  Something pretty and fresh.

Head to Lowes or Home Depot and pick up colorful annuals.  They go a long way to saying "welcome to your new home."

Pressure spray the driveway and sidewalk.  Clean out all of the grunge.  If you have pavers, give them a shiny coat of sealer. 

Purchase new light fixtures at the front door and garage.  These are very inexpensive and make the house look clean and cared for by the owner (you).

Touch up exterior paint where needed.  If the house is in desperate need of paint, go ahead and invest in a complete redo.  Remember:  you are competing with lots of other homes on the market.

Have the windows professionally washed. 

Hire a lawn service to fertilize and edge.  Have them come back periodically until the home sells.

Buy a new welcome mat.

Purchase two large ceramic pots and fill them with flowers at the front door.

Now your home says "Welcome.  Come see what is inside!"