Home Selling Guide: How to Get the Exterior of Your House Ready

There’s a very good reason why realtors talk about “curb appeal”. In fact, they take it very seriously. It’s a cliche but it’s true. You really do only get one chance to make a first impression. Ideally, it should always be a good one. When you’re selling your home, it’s vital to impress potential buyers straight away. Here are five tips to help.

Take care of any repairs

Dealing with repairs isn’t just a matter of aesthetics. It’s also a matter of sales psychology. Basically, you want to remove any obstacles to a sale, no matter how small.  

Put yourself in a buyer’s place. You’re seeing two properties. Both check all the necessary boxes. Both are within your price range. One property clearly needs some repairs done to it, albeit minor ones. The other property is in perfect condition. Which one do you choose?

Remember that astute buyers will check that your home functions as it should. For example, they’ll want to see custom garage doors opening. They might even check that before they come into the house (since they’re already outside). Deal with these kinds of issues before you start taking viewings.

Have your exterior cleaned

What this is going to mean in practice will depend on where you live. If you’re in an apartment/condo, you may not have much control over the exterior of the building itself. You should, however, be able to get your own windows and balconies cleaned.

If you’re in a house then make sure that all exterior surfaces are cleaned. That includes the roof as well as the walls (and windows) plus any pathways/driveways and decking. While you’re about this, think about how the windows look from the outside. If there’s anything unattractive about what you see, change it.

Paint/varnish all wood and metal surfaces

A fresh coat of paint (or varnish) is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to take your home from good to great. What’s more, if you paint/varnish everything at the same time, you can make sure that all the colors/finishes work together.

It’s absolutely fine if it’s clear that everything’s been newly painted. In fact, it can send a positive signal to buyers. Firstly, it shows that you’re a motivated seller. Secondly, it shows that the buyer can expect to get maximum value out of your work.

Ensure your lighting is perfect

As a minimum, your buyers should be able to see their way from the street/hallway to your door. They also need to be able to read your house number (or name) clearly. Remember, they may make their way to your home independently of your realtor (or you may choose to sell without a realtor).

Ideally, you should use light to enhance your home. For example, if you have a garden, see if you can emphasize its best features with lighting. Solar-powered, motion-sensitive lights can be a straightforward and economical way to do this.

Add a touch of (functional) decor

If you have the budget, see if you can add a touch of extra style to your exterior, particularly your door area. For example, consider upgrading your hardware or adding some plants (even faux).