Selling Your Home With a First Impression

Selling Your Home With a First Impression

by Robbie Foglia

Just like that cute little puppy wagging its tiny tail in the window of the pet store you always wanted as a kid, first impressions are extremely important when it comes to selling your house, especially in today's volatile market. With many people scrambling to sell their homes, if yours doesn't catch the buyer's attention in the first few moments he or she sees it, it is likely they are going to move on. To make sure the first impression isn't the last impression for your potential buyers, consider some simple ideas to spruce up your homes curb appeal.

Since most sellers are aiming to make money in the real estate business, it is important that whatever you do to attract buyers to your abode doesn't put you too far in the red before you eventually close the deal. Even with a home that is meant to be a buy-to-fix, it is important to do some basic exterior maintenance in order to attract the largest variety of buyers possible.

Cleaning up the yard by removing unnecessary items (like your pink flamingos), weeding the garden, keeping the grass cut, trimming and edging along the sidewalk, and putting in some extra mulch or potting soil in the garden are relatively cheap and time efficient things you can do to improve the look of your home from the street. If you have flower boxes in the windows or potted plants, make sure they are bright, vibrant, and well groomed or remove them because dead flowers outside means an ugly inside in the buyer's mind.

Rent a power washer to remove some soot from your siding, walkways, and any fencing surrounding your house. If you have extra paint, it may be a good idea to touch up any tired spots on the house or fence. Repainting the entire house is usually a great opportunity to improve the appeal, but it could be expensive or time-consuming, so consider your budget restraints before committing to this.

With an attractive outside and the right real estate company, such as Nancy Chandler Associates, licensed in Norfolk, Virginia, your house will have home buyers coming off the curb and inside to sign the deal in no time.