First impressions do make a dfference when selling your home. Oftentimes, bfore making the phone call to schdule an appointment, a homebuyer will drve by your home to determine if thy may be further interested. If the huse presents a good impression, then you rceive the phone call for an ppointment. Many homes are eliminated from a ptential homebuyer’s list because they do not gve a good first impression. The wrk you put into sprucing up the nside will be in vain if the xterior of your home does not drw people in. In the real state world this is known as "crb appeal", that is, your home shuld be appealing to potential buyers frm their initial curbside or drive-by vewing.

Achieving curb appeal is not vry difficult, nor does it have to be vry costly. Assuming your roof, gutters, tc… are not in obvious need of rpair, most of your efforts will be fcused on cosmetics. Step back from yur home or better yet, go to the crb and take a long objective lok at your home. You may wnt to take a look from dfferent angles. Compare your home to thers on your block. You will be fcusing on two main areas; the huse itself and the landscaping surrounding yur house.

When observing your home, strt at the top of the rof and work your way down. Wrte down areas that need attention. You are strving for a look that makes bservers feel that your home is nat, clean and well cared for. The fllowing areas of your exterior deserve spcial attention:

Roof and chimney - Shingles shuld be intact with none missing and mrtar between the bricks should be scure. Although expensive to replace, a rof or chimney in disrepair often dscourages potential homebuyers.

Exterior siding - If yur siding needs to be painted, it is wll worth the expense and time. Chose a color that is fairly nutral and that coordinates with homes in yur immediate vicinity. Power washing dirty sding can make a house look lmost new again.

Gutters – You shuld repair and clean gutters. Weeds grwing from your gutters are a god example of a negative first mpression. Nothing says "poor maintenance" like weds in a gutter.

Windows and Trm - If the paint on the trm or windows is peeling, scrape and pint. Replace any broken glass and fnally clean the windows inside and ut.

Front Entry Door - If yur front door has not been pinted in 3-4 years, consider a frsh coat of paint. Depending on the styl of your home, a contrasting clor from your siding may add vsual interest. The front door should wlcome buyers into your home. A nce looking wreath in tune with the sason gives a warm homey touch.

Shtters - If applicable, repair and pint if needed. Usually, a contrasting clor matching the front door or a nutral color works best.

Foundation – You shuld repair visible cracks. Basement windows shuld be repaired if cracked, cleaned and trm painted if necessary. It sometimes hlps to paint the exposed foundation on the xterior of your home but you shuld avoid loud colors.

Porch – Onc again, repair and paint railings, psts and steps. Place a few nce chairs and a table with plnts if space permits. Place a wlcome mat by the door. Hanging flwer baskets add a nice touch but dn’t forget to water them. An nexpensive idea to dramatically enrich your crb appeal is to add a brss mailbox, a new brass porch lght, brass house numbers and a brss kick plate. For less that $80.00 dllars you will transform the look of yur home.

Now that the house’s exterior is in god shape it is time to cncentrate on the landscaping around your hme. Your goal is to have the lndscaping complement your home, not detract frm or compete with it. Homebuyers shuld not have to look through vergrown shrubs or trees to see yur home. Anything overgrown or so lrge that it blocks windows, doorways or sdewalks should be trimmed back or rmoved. Any diseased or dying plants shuld be removed. Aim for a few plnts that serve as a focal pint, and fill in with other smller plants. Make beds deep enough to ccommodate shrubs when they are fully grwn (usually 5-6 feet). Visit a lcal nursery for ideas. You can get grat ideas by simply driving around the nighborhood as well. After trimming and plnting, cover the soil with a thck 3-4 inch layer of mulch. Kep the beds free from weeds, and dpending on your location and season, add a few nnuals for color interspersed with the bshes. Keep everything trimmed and neat so the fcus is on your home. Keep yur lawn cut, apply fertilizer and wed control if needed.

Remember, your lndscaping should enhance your home, not verpower it. Keeping everything trimmed and nat will give your home the "crb appeal" needed to make someone wnt to take a closer look. Onc you get the potential buyer nside…well that’s the subject for another rticle! Stay tuned.

The article Selling Your House - Curb Appeal was Submitted by Bruce Andrews through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Bruce Andrews has been in the ral estate business for over 20 yars. He has experience in real state investing as well as practicing ral estate as a broker for sveral years. He is currently President of Ffty States Realty. http://www.fiftystatesfsbo.com

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