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Friday, October 5, 2007

Curb Appeal (even if your not selling)

I'm busy running errands today, But as I was driving around town I noticed a
number of homes for sale. The topic had already been addressed by Great falls
blogger Josh Hutchins , So it was fresh on my mind.

A lot of the homes I am seeing offer very little in the way of curb appeal, sure
many have well mowed yards and the edges have been trimmed. What I am
talking about is going the extra mile to "draw" in your buyers. A few welcoming
plants or shrubs at the corners of your driveway, The overgrowth on trees trimmed,
a fresh coat of paint on the patio. These are all cost effective ways to bring in the
buyer and even make a little more then to begin with.

I will be studying for my real estate license soon and afterwards I will be joining
a Seattle team of real estate agents, I look forward to my new career. The knack
has always been there however. I have worked in various ends of real estate and
I have loved every moment of it. So what can you do to make you home appealing
even if you are not selling.

1. (as Josh states) Mow your lawn!! It's like a palette waiting to be used,
but no artist starts with a dirty palette!

2. Pull the weeds (including the ones in the cracks of sidewalks and driveways.

3. Plant some low maintenance flowers or shrubs.
(my neighbor across the road just planted some tall ornamental grass
and added some rocks to the corner of her driveway
I can't believe how little effort and cost it took her to make her
home just POP like that, it's very appealing.)

4. Look at your porch, doors, window panes and trim..Is the paint peeling?
Add more paint a fresh coat can do wonders!

5. Trim the trees! Pine trees especially can grow into nasty looking knots
that destroy the grass they grow over, trim them back into a nice shapely tree,
your giving the tree the ability to grow "up" while saving your grass.

6. Remove eye sores! Old cars can be towed for free by the city, Last summers
kiddie pools are not nice to look at, If there is a swing set and it's peeling paint,
add a coat to it, You can grab a few cans of specialty spray paint at Aces.

It's really not a lot to do in the scheme of how much you will make from
your home. if your not moving, it gives you house a higher appraisal as
well as your neighbors homes. It is worth your time and effort.

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