Home selling tips - How to make a great first impression

Written by Posted On Thursday, 05 October 2017 09:53

In this edition of Russ Ravary's home selling tips I am going over "How to make a great first impression online and off" when selling your home.  It does not matter if you are selling a home in a subdivision or selling a lakefront home in Oakland County Michigan  Make the Most of that First Impression, it is so important.   Some home buyers will cross your home right off the list for the silliest of reasons.  Would you believe I have had a client that crossed homes off the list if she couldn't pronounce the name of the street or didn't like the name of the street.  It is the same way with the appearance of your home on the outside.  Real estate professionals call it "curb appeal".  In the past you had to have a good outside picture, and then have your home look good on the outside in case of somebody driving by.  Today a great outside picture is so important because potential home buyers can zoom in and see things that they could not in the past.  You do not want the buyer to cross your home off the list of homes to see simply because they did not like the first picture of your home.  Curb appeal helps you get buyers in the door.   So what do you need to do to make that first great impression on a potential home buyer?   

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1) Paint the front door.  A weathered front door will keep it from selling.  I had a million dollar home that had a very weathered door.  I believe it hindered the sale because the buyers always thought the home owner did not take care of the house.  First impressions of whether the home is well maintained or a fixer upper can be detrimental to your sale.  If the door does not need painting then at least freshly scrub the front door.  Add a shiny new door knocker or door handle and locks. Gorgeous hardware (plus a glossy paint job) can make even the plainest door look very classy.  Nothing is worst than a real estate agent fighting to get into your house because your door locks are tricky.

2.) A well-manicured lawn is another cheap factor in curb appeal.  Cut the grass every 5 to 7 days.  Edge the sidewalks and driveway.  Fertilize it and make it green.  Seed the bare spots.  All of this will help your house look good for just a few dollars.

Curb appeal

3.)  Do you have a good sized front porch? Add porch furniture.  A chair with a small table, a pair of matching rockers, Adirondack chairs or a cozy glider is a plus when you have a front porch that is visible from the street. For some reason buyers love the idea of sitting on their front porch.  Whether they do is another matter.

4.)  Shrub beds.  Weed them, and add a fresh layer of mulch, bark, or stone.  Remember you are not going to live here long so do not go hog wild and spend a fortune on new stone.  The new potential buyers may hate the color of the stone or the stone in general.

5.) Repair the driveway and paths.  Again this is a tricky one.  Is there major trip hazards or is the driveway crumbling?  Then you may have to replace sections of the cement.  Try to avoid replacing it all as this is money you may not recoup.  If the driveway is just cracked.....Many home buyers do not place a big emphasis on it.  If it's winter, shovel the walkways. The fewer obstacles between prospects and the true appeal of your home - the better.

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 6)  A clutter-free porch welcome prospects.  Get rid of everything but the basics.  Remember less is more.  Make the porch appear spacious and not cluttered.  Add a new front mat welcoming people.  Now is the time to make a statement like "friends welcome, family call ahead".  Be welcoming to everybody.

7.) Swap out old porch & garage lighting. Try replacing rusty, or tiny sconces with a big, statement-making pendant lights.  Remember buy nice, but be frugal.

8.) Add a hot accent. An accent door or piece of furniture may help make your home stand out.  Be careful that the color is not too wild.   Red is vibrant; a little goes a very long way. Try a bright red bench, planter or mailbox to add pizazz that can be seen in online photos.

9.) Trim up the shrubs and tree so you can see the house.  If the bushes and trees are overgrown once again the buyer is going to think the whole house is poorly maintained.

I hope this edition of Michigan home selling tips by Russ Ravary helps you prepare your home for sale.  Our goal is to help you get top dollar for your home.  For more info go to http://www.oaklandcountylakemi.com 

 

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