Deciding to sell your house is a big decision.
But preparing your house for the big sale can be
a time-consuming and frustrating experience.
If you want top dollar for your property,
you`ve got to spend hours inside and out,
refreshing and updating the thing
from top to bottom.

1 Trim your shrubs. One of the most common curb appeal killers, and easiest fixes, is to simply give those tall and window-obscuring shrubs and bushes out front a nice flat-top trim. Letting prospective buyers see the full front of the house with windows and all will go a long way toward unloading your house quickly.
2 Put out planters. Buy some big planters and fill them with tall evergreen bushes like boxwoods or juniper.
3 Plan on pressure washing. If you don`t want to paint, or commit the funds to a whole house refresh, rent or borrow a pressure washer. These powerful little cleaning tools will quickly remove dirt from siding and clean up driveways, walkways, patios, and decks so they look like new.
4 Add color to the front door. The main portal to your home, the front door can be a powerful symbol to the potential new homeowner, so take some time to choose a bold and interesting color to make it pop and attract maximum attention.
5 Redo your walkway. Walkway to Home Boosting Your Home`s Curb Appeal
6 Paint the house. Though not quite a simple task, unless you have some extra money in your curb appeal budget to pay professional painters, going back over your house with new paint can make it look, well like new!
7 Upgrade your front porch light. Still hanging on to that cobwebbed chintzy chandelier from the `90s as your porch light, or rocking some rundown brass sconces on either side of your door? Time to peruse the local light shop and pick out some new, modern fixtures that will give your entrance a little more appeal. Or head to a vintage store to pick up something with rustic, ornate detailing.
8 Add porch seating. Putting some solid rockers or modern metal chairs on your front porch is a great way to indicate to new buyers that your neighborhood is friendly and social. Plus, the inviting seats may just serve as a respite for them after they`ve toured your home and need a few minutes to talk about submitting their offer!
9 Clean your roof. Ideally, if your roof is getting on in age you should replace it before selling, but that can be a costly upgrade. If it`s still in good shape though and has a few years left, a thorough cleaning can make it look new, removing stains from trees and algae.
10 Hide a cinder block foundation. If your house was built on cinder block foundation and it`s obvious from the street, you can paint it a neutral color to reduce its impact or attach panels that are easily installed and look like stone, river rock, or other more attractive materials than plain cinder block.
11 Replace hardware. Research the latest trends in hardware design and then replace all of your front door hardware to give the entryway a modern and clean look. The solid feel and fresh look of a new door handle, deadbolt, knocker, and even a doorbell will make buyers feel more welcome.
12 Think about symmetry. Take a step out to your street and take
a good look at your house. What can you move or redesign?
13 Get a new front door. You can just paint the front door and add new hardware to spruce it up for potential home purchasers, but why not update the whole look of the front of your house with a new door?
14 Cut clutter. If you add new and eye-catching items to the front of your home, make sure you don`t add too much. Take away anything old and crusty and broken that`s already in your yard or on your porch.
15 Add new mulch/bark. The ground covering will also promote healthier soil so the new owners will have lush landscaping long past the move-in date.
16 Upgrade your house number. Consider moving the placement of the numbers to somewhere more prominent like on a column,
to make them more a part of the whole design theme of your home.
17 Hide unsightly items. Go out again to the street and take a long look at the front of your home. Can you see the AC unit peaking out? Is the junction box sticking out like a sore thumb on the side of the house? Is your garden hose a jumbled mess on the ground? Take steps to hide these unsightly eyesores like planting bushes in front of the AC, painting the junction box the same color as the house and putting the hose in
a decorative container.
18 Get a new doormat. The moment before your potential home buyers come up to your new and freshly painted door, they will look down as they step over your door sill. Don`t destroy all your hard work on the outside of your home and leave a ratty and ragged doormat. Be sure to get a fresh and classic mat made of sisal, seagrass, or coir.

Tatiana Pavlova

Sales Representative
Member of CREA, OREA and TRREB
647-524-2423
tatiana.pavlova@yahoo.ca