Show Your Curb Appeal

Spring is around the corner, and the real estate market is hot in the GTA. If you are thinking of selling your home this spring, start by assessing your home’s exterior. Real estate experts estimate that 90 per cent of prospective buyers will not look past the front door of a house that lacks curb appeal.

Here are the top 10 tips for sprucing up your home’s exterior to create curb appeal and beckon buyers:

• Create a front entranceway that says “Welcome” to prospective buyers. Clean, fix or replace the mailbox, polish brass fixtures, make sure the door handle works, straighten and polish house numbers, paint any iron fixtures, remove dust and scuff marks from doors, molding and shutters, and make sure the doorbell works.
• Brighten exterior doors with a good cleaning and a fresh coat of paint or stain.
• The garage door takes up a good portion of your home’s exterior, so make sure it creates a good first impression. Have worn, dented or dated doors cleaned and painted, or replaced.
• A neglected driveway speaks volumes about a property and its owners. Have the drive resealed or refaced as soon as the weather allows.
• Clean and repair eavestroughs. While having the gutters cleaned, consider having the exterior of your home powerwashed for a clean, fresh appeal.
• Have the windows washed, inside and out, to brighten your home’s interior and exterior.
• Trim vegetation around porches and walkways now, before they start budding in the spring. Trim hedges to keep them neat and tidy.
• Keep walkways swept and clear of clutter.
• In the garage, remove clutter and organize. If necessary, rent a storage locker. Sweep and clean the floor, and neatly organize contents. Ensure that the remote garage door opener works and the door operates smoothly.
• If your front lawn has bare patches and weeds, it may be money well spent to have it seeded or resodded.

Source: Homeservice Club