Selling A House From The
Outside In
By: Patti Schopper
As the seller of a home, first impressions
are everything.
In today's changing real estate market, there are more homes on the market
than there are buyers looking for a home to buy.
When a real estate agent is showing properties to buyers, the usual number
of homes to show in one day is six. Whether your home is first or last, you
must think of how the house looks from the outside as a car drives by. This
is a quick look.
If the outside of your house doesn't catch the eye in the first few seconds,
it is very possible that a buyer will tell their agent they don't even want
to stop to see the inside of your house and the inside might be just exactly
what that particular buyer wants!
As is said in the real estate industry, curb appeal means everything.
Make sure your lawn is green, mowed and trimmed. If you have large bushes
that actually take away from your front yard or cover the entrance, either
take them out or
trim them back.
Color is also a very big item. When there are flowers in bloom and a buyer
sees colors it tends to make you happy. You want to see what might be going
on inside the house.
Don't go overboard, however, and put in so many flowering plants that you
yard looks like a nursery.
Another thing to consider is palm trees. They have been very popular for
years, however, when you have the type of palm tree that grows really tall
and has large leaves that tend to die and fall off, many people forget those
need to be trimmed up as well
If your house needs paint on the outside, please paint it. Use a neutral
color that goes with most anything. When blues and yellows are used, many
buyers feel they are going to have to paint and that is an added expense.
Make sure all your trim looks clean and has no paint chipping off.
If your paint is in good shape, just use a presser washer to make sure your
house and trim look clean and free of dirt or cobwebs.
If your driveway is full of oil marks, go to your local home improvement
store and obtain the proper cleaners. There are some great items on the
market today to help you get your driveway nearly as good as when it was
new.
If you have a garage door that is not one of the new roll-up types, you
might want to consider having one put in. They are not terribly expensive
and they make a huge difference in the way the outside of the house looks. A
buyer can make a snap decision based only on how the garage door is. Today's
buyer is going to look at an old pull-up type garage door and immediately
know they will need to replace it with a roll-up door and to a buyer that is
an added expense they don't really want to spend.
Again, you may have a home the buyer really wants and they may not even want
to get out of their agent's car to see the inside.
The point here is, you must make the outside of your home shine in order to
draw a buyer to want to see the inside. It only takes a buyer a few seconds
when they pull up in front of your house as to whether or not they will even
go inside.
As the seller of a home, first impressions are everything.
Patti Schopper has been in the real estate industry over 36 years. She is a
seasoned real estate agent and senior loan officer. Her goal is to always
keep the client's needs and wants first with total communication from the
very start to the end. Most of Patti's clients have stayed in their homes
for many years. Patti works in the Inland Empire, Southern California.
Should you have any questions, please contact Patti at
www.realestateandloans4you.com
[Internet-Marketing-One.Com]
