As Spring finally comes to us (We Hope) and the Spring home sales heat up we find a whole new set of criteria to help attract the elusive Buyer to your home. Never disregard the importance of first opinion both in the inside and on the outside of the home for sale. A few tips to consider and things you can do to help attract Buyers are listed below.

UNUSED THINGS:    Put the snow shovels away in the shed, the snow blower and your snowmobiles.

LAWN:   Rake it to get rid of the winter residue of branches and road dirt.
Fertilize it because like paint inside the home, a few dollars spent outside to make your lawn nice and green goes a long way.  Keep it cut, more than you’re usual once a week or so.

GARDENS:  Clean out the garbage and put on some new mulch. Plant some nice bright annuals.

SHRUBS:  Trim them up nice, Remove their dead wood and remember they look great for many years, but they do get big and sometimes ugly so remove them if their time has past.

TREES:  Keep them trimmed up and out of the way.  If it’s fall rake the leaves to show your nice lawn.

FRONT DOOR:  Clean the windows, and paint the door and the door frame. Sweep the porch and walkways. Remember while the Buyers  are waiting for their Realtor to unlock the lockbox and open the door, they have nothing to do but stand there and look around at what’s close to them so get rid of those cobwebs!.

DRIVEWAY:  Power wash it and give it a coat of sealer. If your car sinks into permanent indentations when you come home consider having it repaved.

SHINGLES:  Is it time to replace them? A prospective buyer will want to knock off twice as much from the price of your home as the work is really worth. Better to bite the bullet and do it now while you are in control. Other wise get a reasonable quote and leave it out to prove the real worth of the job.

PAINT:  Garage doors, Front doors and Window frames. A house with flaking and peeling paint indicates a home that’s not well maintained and starts the Buyer looking for other issues while looking at your home.

WINDOWS:  An important factor when looking to buy a home, but expensive. If they need replaced and you aren’t going to do it then al least paint them up nicely and keep them clean.

WALKWAYS:  Keep them clean, weed free and level. You don’t need a prospective Buyer to trip on your uneven walkway or loose step and sue you and then buy your house with the proceeds.

Remember its all about FIRST IMPRESSIONS. The outside of a well looked after home will attract Buyers eyes from the street. Welcome them and say, my owner loves me and takes care of me.