Real Estate Solutions: Home Selling Secrets

It is important to be selective about what improvements you make when sellingyour home. You don't want to spend money on things you'll never see a return on. Some items,like a new bathroom or fireplace, give you a much lower return if you are planning to sell inthe short term. Other improvements, such as extensive landscaping, replacement windows and roomadditions are often mistakes in terms of recovering your investment.

It is important to not confuse improvements with maintenance. A buyer willdiscount your home $200 for every $100 in needed repairs. Even in today's hot seller'smarket, the more you do for the buyer, the better you will do on your sale.

Tip #1 Create curb appeal for your home. Get rid of any dead plantsor trees and trim overgrown hedges or bushes to best reveal your house. Clean your driveway ofoil or other stains, then patch and seal it if necessary. If selling during the winter, keep thewalkways and drive free of snow. Fertilize your lawn and keep it well manicured. Use groundcovers such as pachysandra or myrtle to hide bare spots under shade trees. Put window boxes orwreaths up and plant flowers in those empty planters. Remove boats, RVs, trailers, etc. fromyour property. Put away any religious lawn statues, animals or plastic flowers.

Many things can be done to improve your home's appearance and make it moremarketable to today's buyer. By doing the work yourself, you will save money and get a muchgreater profit when you sell. Last time we discussed creating curb appeal. The following tipsare also designed to increase visual appeal.

Tip #2 If your home is badly in need of paint, paint it. It is the simplestway to create a good first impression. Oftentimes, painting the trim or just the front door isenough to give your home a crisp, tidy look. Smaller homes look larger if painted a light colorwith a slightly contrasted trim color. Use a power washer to clean dirty siding, your roof, thedriveway, sidewalk and even the street in front of your house. Repair cracked masonry andrepoint loose bricks as needed. Cover bare concrete or stone foundations with plantings. Replacerotted decking. Paint or replace rusted, dented mailboxes and wrought iron trim. Removedecorative eagles, flags and other emblems. Don't mix siding types (e.g. clapboard with cedarshingles). Keep window treatments uniform as viewed from the front.

Tip #3 Make your house feel like home by setting a nice stage. Use plantsand flowers that compliment your exterior paint colors. Dried flowers or an attractive wreath can behung by the front door. Install a nostalgic porch swing, hammock or sundial. Set up a badmintonnet, croquet or horseshoe game. Even a picnic table can be dressed up to create a nice feeling.

Even in a sellers market, there are many things you can (and should) do to getthe most for your property. Last time we discussed first impressions and setting a nice stage.Here are some other easy ways to create visual appeal.

Tip #4 A newly painted or linseed oiled front door is good for starters. A new brass door knockeror decorative wreath make a nice welcome. Squeeze a little graphite into all locks and make surethe keys the broker has works effortlessly. There is a subtle psychology at work then the brokerstruggles to open the door or (far worse) can't get in. The buyers may feel like the key doesn'tfit so neither do they.

Tip #5 Say it with flowers. Place a flowering plant on the doorstep. Replace last year's driedup flowers in your planter or windowboxes with fresh ones. No one said you had to keep them alive for ever. A vaseof fresh flowers on the entryway or kitchen table will make a welcoming statement.