Properly Preparing Your Home For The Market

Make Your Essex County House Irresistible to Buyers

While the term is overused, it remains so true, first impressions count! So what is curb appeal? In today’s Maplewood, Montclair and South Orange area real estate market, creating outstanding curb is no longer an option, it’s a must! Curb appeal is about creating that instant love-at-first-sight moment when your potential buyer drives up to your Essex County home. Simply put, it's the physical appearance of your home at first glance. Don’t forget, getting a home buying prospect to your front door is the first step. Keeping them interested once they are inside is another challenge not to be overlooked.

Here are four ways to turn up your home's curb appeal without breaking your bank account:

1. Present an immaculately landscaped lawn with complimentary shrubbery and flowers. While this might be more of a challenge given the chance for an occasional winter snow event, ways to create great curb appeal can be as simple as adding fresh mulch in the natural areas, planting pansy plants for a splash of color or placing a potted plant on the stoop that is cold-weather hardy. Removing the falls leaves and the seasonal plants that have died is another must.

2. Focus on the entry-way. Create a distinct pathway to your home’s entrance that guides people. This can be accomplished by creating paths, patios or beds of plants that shape to your home's face. Don’t forget to focus on the front door. Give it a facelift by painting it a bright color and putting out a new welcome mat. The point is to make your prospective home buyer feel as if they are arrived somewhere extra special, not just stepping up on a bland stoop.

3. Deal with the driveway. Most existing homeowners fail to pay attention to their stained driveway. Why not power-wash the drive and remove the stains. Consider applying a stain to hide the ugly gray concrete to make it look like stone or possibly paint it with a pigmented sealer.

4. Pay close attention to the details. Missed opportunities can often be traced back to the little things. Your home buying prospect will be looking at things like the condition of the exterior, how clean are the windows, the condition of the roof; could your home’s exterior use a fresh coat of paint or possibly a power-wash job? Finally, don't forget to remove the children’s toys, store any large recreational vehicles and tidy up in general. Outstanding curb appeal tells your home buying prospect you have maintained your home very well.

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