Prepping Your Home for Listing: Part 2

In last week’s blog, we discussed prepping the inside of your home for Listing. But what about the outside of your home? Today we’ll tackle how to get the exterior of your home ready for Buyers.

Start with Pressure Washing

One of the most important things to do when prepping the exterior of your home is to pressure wash. Usually it’s recommended to pressure wash your house yearly, but especially when selling your home it is as important to have a spotless exterior.

If you’ve never pressure washed before, you may want to look into have a professional company come to do a thorough job. Depending on the size of your home it can be an extremely big project so be prepared for a lot of work if you are choosing to do it yourself. If you don’t own a pressure washer but would like to do it yourself, you can rent one at most hardware stores. Don’t forget to pressure wash your driveway and sidewalk too. It really does make a huge difference in the overall appearance of your home.

Clean Up Your Lawn

The next step to tackle is your lawn. Having a nice, vibrant green lawn will give your Buyers a great first impression of your home and how it’s been taken care of. Rake any leaves and remove any dead grass stems to clean up the look of your lawn. Plant annuals to liven up the space. When getting your home ready for a sale, I suggest “overplanting” the annuals to give a fuller look to your garden more quickly. You may also want to throw down a layer of new mulch on existing plants.

This will help to make your entire garden look fresh and well maintained. Check out all your existing flowers or plants to see if they’re in need of trimming. To keep your lawn looking lush and vibrant, be sure to seed it well ahead of time. With the summer approaching, be sure to keep your lawn watered well and weeded often. Your landscaping is one of the first things a Buyer will notice and therefore it is incredibly important to take pride in your lawn and make a great first impression with your Buyers.

Tidy the Garage

Keeping a neat and tidy garage is also extremely important. Buyers will want to get a good look at your whole house – including the garage. For the most part try to put everything away in neatly organized bins.

You may want to look into purchasing a shelving unit to help keep things organized. Put away all tools, toys and outdoor equipment. Also, make sure no garbage or recycling is lying around, as this will give your garage a much more cluttered look. Make sure that the floor of the garage is neatly swept. If needed, you may also want to power wash the floor of your garage as well.

Freshen Up Your Backyard

Lastly, let’s talk about the backyard. It can be easy to go overboard when trying to dress up your backyard. Patio furniture can also be very expensive, but it doesn’t always have to be.

If you have any existing furniture, look into power washing it and buying new throw pillows to freshen everything up. Keep the landscaping simple, adding a few flowers or plants if needed, and making sure your lawn is as lush and vibrant as your front yard. Remove all toys, tools, etc as well. You want to make your house universally appealing so remove anything too personal from your outdoor living space.

The first things Buyers will see when viewing your home is the exterior. Make sure that everything is clean, organized and well kept to make a great first impression. Do you have any tips on prepping the outside space of your home for selling? Share these tips with your friends and family and let me know your ideas!