According to a 2013 National Association of Realtors survey, 71% of homebuyers find that curb appeal is a big influence in deciding which home to purchase!  I have said many times that the home’s exterior can make or break a sale as it is the buyer’s first impression of your home. Follow these simple tips to make sure you don’t lose a buyer to poor curb appeal!

• Keep the exterior of your home maintained. Paint your siding, clean your gutters, make sure doors and windows are not only looking good, but are in good working order, keep you sidewalks in good repair, tighten railings, reseal your driveway.
• How is your plant landscaping, has it taken over the house? Trim up the trees and bushes, clear the walkways, pull those weeds, put out pretty flowers, remove dead trees and plants, and keep the lawn mowed.
• What about the landscaping? Are your pavers still flat, are the crevasses free of weeds, is your firepit clean, are your retaining walls in good shape?
• Remove outdoor clutter – basically stage the outside. Park the camper somewhere else, store bicycles, and toys neatly in the garage, wind up the hoses, just pick up the yard and don’t leave things lying around.
• Unless you have absolutely nothing in your yard, don’t spend big money to spruce it up. Keep it simple, but most of all a clean, well-kept appearance is what a buyer is looking for.

Selling a vacant home can be a bit of a challenge!  If you have an older home that is not updated, you can price it accordingly and advertise it as a fixer upper or needs tlc and in this case being vacant is not an issue.  If your home is up to date and is in good condition, being vacant can be a bit more tricky but sometimes you need to move before your home is sold so what do you do?

Once you move out all the imperfections show up – carpet stains, fade spots on the flooring and walls, holes and marks on the walls and more. Without furniture a home often appears smaller as well.  There are several things you can do to try and help your home sell.

Have your home staged. It does not have to be your entire home but the main floor and maybe the master bedroom.  There are a wide range of staging options available depending on your needs. By staging your home will simply look better.

If it is going to be vacant, take the time and small expense to have your walls patched and painted in a neutral color, get your carpets cleaned and repair any other minor damages to the home that are obvious.

Make sure your home stays fresh. If you turn off the heat and/or a/c, it will become stuffy and unpleasant, so leave those running as well as the fan for circulation.

Spruce up your exterior.  You can only do so much to an empty home but remember the buyer’s first impression is the outside.  Make sure your yard is mowed or snow is shoveled, trees and shrubs are pruned, the exterior paint should not be chipping off, leaves are raked and anything else that will give your home a very orderly first appearance.

I sell vacant homes all the time but these tips may help you with selling a vacant home a bit quicker!

You have decided to list your home, now it is time to get it ready to be listed.  You live there, you love it as it is but the prospective buyers may not.  What turns buyers off in a home?  You need to create a neutral environment, a blank canvas where they can paint themselves and their belongs into the home.  Some things that may seem small to you could keep the buyers from wanting to buy your home! (more…)