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Curb Appeal
Does your house have curb appeal? Can we give it a little more pizzazz to draw the buyer in? Would a bit of touch-up paint add dollars to the sale? What about the garden? Is the lawn in order and neatly edged? Are trees and bushes neatly pruned? Are flowers in bloom? If not, it may be time for a garden upgrade. Adding colorful annuals to the front garden will make a big difference. Remember, creating curb appeal will add dollars to your house's final selling price.
Welcome Home
As I walk in the door of your house, I will ask myself, "Will this house say, 'Welcome home' to a buyer?" Looking through the eyes of a buyer, I will recommend changes that will enhance sales appeal.
I'll help you eliminate anything that gives the appearance of clutter. Countertops should be free and clear. Knickknacks, souvenirs, family photos, refrigerator artwork - it's gone. We need to "de-personalize" the house so buyers can imagine it as their home.
Closets and cupboards should appear large and roomy. It's time to make a donation to a local charity or store belongings at a friend's or family member's home.
Reviewing your home room-by-room, I will make recommendations that impact the sale. I'll point out the pieces of furniture that should be removed, rooms that need new paint, carpet that needs to be changed, fixtures that need polishing, windows that need cleaning, and any other improvement that can easily be made to promote the sale.
Before the first buyer walks in your door, I'll show you how to set the stage. We want to engage the buyer's senses. Lighting is critical. We'll draw back curtains, open blinds, change light bulbs and add lighting where needed to welcome the buyer. We'll enhance the ambiance with music playing lightly in the background and insure a pleasing aroma emanates from every room.
Most experts agree that curb appeal is one of the most important aspects to consider when selling your home.When selling, it's the appearance from the street that will very often determine whether potential buyers come in to see the inside, or never get out of their cars.
Flowers are one of the easiest and least expensive ways to make the front of your house look inviting and instantly increase the curb appeal of your home. Without any real landscaping at all, flowers can transform a rather drab and dreary looking front yard into one that looks colorful and lush. Especially during spring and summer, you should take advantage of the season by planting pots and flower boxes.
You should choose colorful flowers that will be in bloom during the time you're selling your home. Planting the flowers in planter boxes and pots is easier than planting them in the ground and lets you more easily place them where they can have the most visual impact. You don't need to have a green thumb, or spend a lot of money to get great results either. Visit your local home improvement center or nursery and they will be happy to advise you of the best flowers and plants for your purpose. You can put together several very nice planter boxes and pots of flowers for well under $100. And it's easy!
One of the nice things about using flowers in this way is that you'll see the results immediately. And so will buyers visiting your home!
 Which home improvements give the best payback?
If you’re thinking about remodeling your kitchen, or finishing your basement, you probably want to get your investment back when you sell your home. But when it comes to payback value of home improvements, some are definitely more profitable than others. As a general rule, kitchen and bathroom projects usually get a nice return on investment, typically 90% or more.Things like adding rooms or finishing basements tend to pay back the least.Finishing a basement usually returns less than 50%, so it’s not a project likely to show profit at selling time.
There are a number of factors that go into determining how well a project will pay back. Payback value depends a lot on the current market conditions in your area. If the market is hot and homes are selling fast, you can expect a higher payback value than you would get in a slow market.
The type of project you do and how it fits in with other homes in the area can have a big influence on payback too. If you put your money into the wrong type of improvement, you won’t get your money back. But if you're smart about what you do, you can make money. The payback will be better on improvements that are in demand and conform to neighborhood standards. Adding a second bathroom in a neighborhood where most homes have two bathrooms will give a high return on investment. Building a large addition that makes your home twice as big as the other homes on the block probably won’t pay back very well. Likewise, the popularity of a project will factor into how much it pays back. An improvement heavily customized to your wants and needs won’t pay back as well as something more common to other homes in the neighborhood.
Another factor to consider is the cost of the improvements. If you can do the work yourself, you can save significantly on the cost of the project and greatly improve the chances of getting a good return on the investment.
The list below is compiled from several published surveys and shows typical payback for some popular remodeling projects:
- Kitchen remodeling – 90%
- Add a bathroom – 90%
- Bathroom remodeling – 80%
- Install central heating – 90%
- Install central air – 75%
- Add a deck – 70%
- Replace windows – 70%
- Add a room – 55%
- Build a pool – 45%
- Finish a basement – 40%
 Flowers for instant curb appeal
The experts all agree that curb appeal is one of the most important aspects to consider when selling your home.When selling, it's the appearance from the street that will very often determine whether potential buyers come in to see the inside, or never get out of their cars.
Flowers are one of the easiest and least expensive ways to make the front of your house look inviting and instantly increase the curb appeal of your home. Without any real landscaping at all, flowers can transform a rather drab and dreary looking front yard into one that looks colorful and lush. Especially during spring and summer, you should take advantage of the season by planting pots and flower boxes.
You should choose colorful flowers that will be in bloom during the time you're selling your home. Planting the flowers in planter boxes and pots is easier than planting them in the ground and lets you more easily place them where they can have the most visual impact. You don't need to have a green thumb, or spend a lot of money to get great results either. Visit your local home improvement center or nursery and they will be happy to advise you of the best flowers and plants for your purpose. You can put together several very nice planter boxes and pots of flowers for well under $100. And it's easy!
One of the nice things about using flowers in this way is that you'll see the results immediately. And so will buyers visiting your home! | 
