Believe it or not, the frontage of your house can sell your property in an instant. There are many things a potential buyer can glean from just looking at the front of the house from the curb -

1. The basic layout of the floor plan. The position of the front door, the windows, the garage and upper and lower floors gives them a good idea of what to expect.

2. Whether the seller tended to the lawn, flower beds and garden on a regular basis.

3. How close the neighbouring houses are, and if there is a good fence to define and delineate the properties.

4. The condition of the sidewalk and parking pad, which can be indicators of the age of the house, of any potential water issues, and again, of how much care and attention the exterior of the house received.

At the moment that a potential buyer is standing in front of your house, deciding whether or not they want to see more, they are asking themselves a question based on an emotional response - does the house feel right? That decision is made within seconds.

In a competitive buyers' market good curb appeal is essential to drawing the attention of potential buyers so they will stop and have a look at your property. They are thinking "If it looks good on the outside, chances are it looks good on the inside as well." Remember, your house is now a product and it is for sale, so it must look better than any other product currently on the market in your particular price range. I will address pricing in a future article.

How do you achieve good curb appeal? Here are some tips to make sure your house looks great from curb:

- Cut the grass, and trim trees and hedges

- Use a weed killer on any weeds growing in the cracks of the sidewalk, walk way or drive way

- Pick up any doggy doo and repair burned patches if possible

- Weed the flower beds and add some colour with flowers or planters

- Place a potted plant on the porch or front landing

- Pressure wash the exterior of the house or consider giving it a fresh coat of paint

- Make sure the trim and door paint are in good condition; consider giving these a fresh coat as well

- Ensure the doorbell and the porch light work

- Update the door hardware, mail box, numbers and porch light. Make sure the exterior is well illuminated

- Remove Christmas lights, especially if it is spring or summer

- Remove big trees that are dying or blocking the view of the house

- Remove awnings over windows and doors for an immediate update and to let the natural light in

- Remove car bodies and all other distracting junk - even toys and bikes -- from the lawn

- Wash the windows

- Define the property line, and be prepared to invest in a fence or shrubbery so buyers can clearly see what they're buying

- Shovel the drive-way and the walk-way in winter

- Check for cracks and heaving on the walk way and drive way; if there is significant damage consider repairing it or reflecting this repair in your list price

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