Curb appeal is the overall first impression that a home makes on a prospective buyer. It is hard to impress upon most sellers just how many people will drive by, take that one critical look, and then keep on driving. All because of curb appeal. An attractive appearance will generate foot traffic (buyers looking to get inside for a further peek). A home in shambles will have the opposite and tragic effect on the sale of the home. This may not be an easy subject to tackle. The seller has lived there for a while and is used to the way things look. Now it looks like it is time for a second opinion.

Take a long, hard, critical look at the exterior. Is it the shape of the house? The exposure? The power lines? Those things cannot be changed. But don't worry; the home was bought with those issues so it has already been discounted for these conditions. Now take a look at the material condition of the exterior.

First, take a walk down the street and compare it to other houses. Are there major repairs that need to be contemplated (new roof, repaint the exterior, mend the fence)? Or does the home need a more general and less costly update? Here is a list of low costs but effective ways to jazz up the appearance:

1. Touch up the trim. Not a major undertaking, just break out the brush and fix those faded window and garage casings.

2. Pressure wash the exterior. Rent a power washer and knock off the mildew on the shady side of the house. Pressure wash the driveway and sidewalk to really make the home stand out.

3. Borrow the neighbor's ladder and clean out those overflowing gutters. They really should be cleaned at least twice a year anyway to keep the system working as advertised.

4. Clean up the kids toys, remove the car on blocks, hide the trash can, and pick up the newspapers off the driveway. Get the idea? Remove the clutter!

5. Turn an eye towards the lawn. Keep it trimmed and neat. Plant flowers around the mailbox. Make room for a small herb or butterfly garden (great for stress relief anyway).

6. Come up with some other ideas with a real estate professional, it is their job. Just keep the costs in check. Spend too much and the buyers might think that their maintenance costs are going to be too prohibitive.

Now is the time to take those exterior photos and have a real estate agent post them on the multiple listing service for all to see. The homeowner deserves to get full value for their home, but it is not going to come without some effort. Keeping the exterior up, just as they would the inside will result in an increase in traffic. That is the power of curb appeal.

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