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Health & Fitness

Home Sellers: Think 'Curb Appeal' When Selling

Cliff Keith has raised his family in Redwood City. He's been a member of City commissions and committees, and helping homeowners and buyers with their real estate needs since 1976. Combat Veteran.

If you are thinking you are going to put your home on the market for sale in the Spring of 2013, now is the time to start planning.

The old adage, “you only get one chance to make a first impression” is always a top consideration when the desired outcome is a quick and successful sale. It's what gets the buyers saying as they walk up to your door, "Yeah, I could live here."

What do you think they would say about the house in need of repairs? Here is a site to go to for additional FREE reports for "Smart Home-Sellers Who Think Curb Appealing When Selling Their Homes," to maximize their return on their home investment.

Find out what's happening in Redwood City-Woodsidefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

With this in mind, it stands to reason good "curb appeal" is a top priority. Now is the time to prepare for the Spring buyers of your home. One easy way to get the most bang for your buck is to plant bulbs now. Bulbs are beautiful, fun and loved by all who see them. Want to know how to plant and care for bulb plants? The answer can be found on an earlier blog post.

Another first impression "hot button" would be the front door. If possible, replace it. This is not always practical and can be very costly; the alternative is to paint it. When you paint it, choose a color that is fun and compliments the color of the house. Be sure to prepare the door by sanding, filling any cracks or holes, sand some more, and add a good primer to help seal and prepare the door’s surface for a good quality paint.

Find out what's happening in Redwood City-Woodsidefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Your front door knob or deadbolt should be polished and operative. If they are in disrepair and can be fixed, be sure to do so. It may be easier to simply install a new quality knob and lock. Make sure the finish you choose does not clash with your other components like the hinges.

Clearing your driveway of extra cars is always a plus for good curb appeal.

Finally, make sure the doorbell works properly. In some communities, building codes requires you to have a lighted house number, which is a good idea for help from emergency services like the fire department and ambulances.

With just a little forethought these effective changes to your home will give it the chance it needs to compete with other homes on the market at the same time. You will stand out and be looked at more favorably because it will have color from mature flowers and a front door that will pop and say, "Welcome."

There are other tips on this blog about real estate and how you can do other inexpensive things to upgrade your home that will show a positive impression to home buyers in your communities like Redwood City and San Carlos. Here are a few Free reports that may help you.

If you want notification about homes you are looking to buy you can visit my website and click the “Register Today” orange button to the right and give the criteria of the home you would like to purchase.  I will arrange for your own Personal Organizer. It will generate results sent to you when a new home matching your criteria comes on to the market. You will have information within four hours of this information being placed in the Multiple Listing Service, (MLS), which is about as fast as I receive this information.

Want to reprint this post? You may do so, if you include the following credit line: “Cliff Keith is a California real estate broker, who has helped home buyers and sellers since 1976! Are you ready to save time and money when you purchase or sell real estate? Subscribe to Cliff’s free newsletter at http://www.sfbayhomes.com.

Please leave comments below. Thank you.

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