So, you made it through the winter and now you are planning to sell your home. Well, you will need to create a checklist. Take a slow walk around the inside and outside of your home. Let’s start with the outside. By now you have raked all your grass to liven up your soil and if your house is like mine, you have a gazillion fall leaves to rake up, and get rid of.
Do a cognizant assessment of what looks good and what you may have to do to make it more attractive. Freshly cut grass, new mulch, and shrubbery that is groomed back effectively will boost the curb appeal of any home. You might want to replace those overgrown bushes with an array of green healthy plants and colorful perennials and annuals. Try surrounding bushes and trees with reddish-brown mulch and that will certainly give a rich feel and facelift to your yard. Place distinctive edging around your garden beds, pull out the weeds and invasive plants, and add a few colorful geraniums in pots to liven things up.
Curb appeal will either drive their interest to make them want to see your home, or not. Remember, you don't always get a second chance to make a first impression. Make sure all your windows are clean and your driveway is sealed. Keep all windows, including the garage, clean inside and out, sweep cobwebs from the house eaves, and spray down downspouts with a garden hose. Don’t forget to pay attention to your garage door to keep it a bright shade of white. For those who can’t spray off the dirt that has built up over the winter months, scrub it off with a solution of 1/2 cup trisodium phosphate – available at local grocery stores, hardware stores, and home improvement centers – dissolved in 1 gallon of water.
Paint your front door. Pick a color that will stand out but will compliment your house color. Red is a color that denotes success. Also, maybe a bold door knocker. Make sure your walkway up to your front door is brightly illuminated. Nothing ever looks better than a nice lit-up entrance to show off the charming aspects of your home. Also consider adding a new mailbox, new metal house numbers, or a colorful address plaque that can make your house truly stand out from the competition.
If you have a patio or deck, make sure all your seating is inviting with a colorful umbrella, tables, and chairs. This is where you will spend a lot of time in the summer, so make it look casual, but tasteful. If you are lucky enough to have a pool, make sure that it is clean and you have efficient lighting surrounding it for safety reasons.
Another great tip is to make sure you have provisions to ward off flying bugs with a good bug repellent or bug zapper or tiki torches to keep insects at bay. There is nothing worse than having family and friends over and each of them looking like demented windmills flailing their arms to keep the bugs away. You will find they won't stay too long under those conditions. Summer is short enough, especially in Maine, so you want to have as much outdoor time as possible.
I think now you should be ready for those inside jobs you might have before listing it. Inventory is very low, and the market is still on fire, so if you are planning to sell this year, put it on the market as soon as it is ready. <
Richie Vraux is a Realtor/ Broker with Better Homes and Gardens-The Masiello Group 76 Tandberg Trail, Windham. Call Richie for a free written evaluation at 207-317 1297 or by email at richardjvraux@gmail.com
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