When your home is on the market, first impressions are everything. An unkempt yard or peeling paint will scare some buyers away completely. But a neat, pretty exterior will bring more potential buyers in for showings and open houses.How can you avoid the pitfalls of a badly-staged
1. Doing nothing
One of the biggest mistakes I see is sellers not doing anything in terms of curb appeal,” said Maria Mak, a realtor from Sutton Centre Realty, Many sellers focus their staging efforts inside the house, but the exterior is at least as important. Spending half a day cleaning up your property will give the impression that your home is well cared for,
2, Too much clutter
It's one thing to have a cluttered yard most of the time, but it shouldn’t be cluttered when your home is on the market. A collection of shoes near the front door, a jumble of lawn furniture, kids’ toys–all of that should be cleared away, with only a few tasteful pieces left out to make the yard look homey and to give buyers ideas for how the space could be used.
3. Tired landscaping
Don't go overboard and bring in a backhoe to level the lawn, but do make sure the yard is looking its best. Water the grass, trim the hedges, and put in a few perennial flowers to brighten things up. “Adding vibrancy with fresh flowers would make a world of difference and make the yard inviting and alive,” said Maria, Backyards and gardens teeming with bright flowers is one of the main reasons the real estate market heats up in the spring. If it’s not springtime, you can still add a little color to your yard by planting seasonal flowers, sweeping up the dry leaves, and making sure it’s looking its best.
4. Peeling paint
There are many theories about which renovations are worth investing in when a house is on the market. However, we would contend that touching up the paint on the front of your house will get you the bang for your buck. New paint won’t disguise a house that’s in need of major repairs, but it will give the house a more cheerful appearance than peeling paint. It may not be practical to repaint the entire exterior, but repainting the trim goes a long way. If you can’t even paint all the trim, do the trim around the door so that the buyer standing on the front porch carries positive first impressions.
5. Quirky art
That enormous elephant statue may fit your tastes or express your eccentric sense of humor, but you don’t want buyers to fixate on one thing that makes the house seem bizarre. Because you can’t anticipate everyone’s taste, it might be best to remove all the quirky art from your house and yard. You want to showcase your house as pretty and appealing, definitely NOT quirky. A trusted friend’s honest opinion will help you part with your precious treasures.
www.mariamak.com
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