Preparing to sell your home in the Dallas / Fort Worth area?  Spring is the start of the selling season for real estate so this is a good time to start planning for it.  Before you talk to an agent, here are some things you should consider doing to your house’s exterior to improve your houses’ curb appeal.

1.  Seriously clean all the blinds, drapes, window sills, and glass.  People are going to be peering into these windows so make sure they’re clean.

2.  Rent a power washer and power wash the exterior no matter what the siding is, brick, vinyl, wood, etc.  Just be careful to not use too powerful a tip or you may remove more than dirt.  Also any peeling paint will be sprayed off so expect to do a few touch-ups using color matched paint to blend in.  Add bleach to the washer if you see any signs of mold or mildew on the siding.

3.  Power wash all sidewalks, paths, driveways, the front porch concrete, etc.  Also wash any border stones around the flowerbeds too.  Bleaching and powerwashing a wood fence makes the fence look years younger if done correctly.  Done incorrectly a powerwasher could make a fence look like it’s been a hail storm.  Be careful to use the correct tip.  Too powerful a tip could gouge the material being sprayed.  Add bleach to the washer if needed.

4.  Clean the gutters and wash all leaves and debris off the roof while avoiding washing off the roof yourself.

5.  Repaint your front door and replace all hardware on the front door with new perfectly working locks and handles.  Everyone looking at your house will use this door so it has to look and function perfectly to make a good first impression.

6.  Are the street numbers easy to read from the street and spot in the dark?  If not, change it.  Also make sure the mailbox is in good condition.

7.  Go to the local garden store and buy some cheap but colorful flowering plants when planting season starts in late April or May.  Evenly space them in the flowerbeds so you can see lots of color from the street and when you look out the window into the back yard.  While you’re at it, throw a fresh layer of mulch over the bed.  The mulch makes the flowerbed look fresh and because the bed mulch is all the same color, flowering plants visually pop.

8.  It’s never too soon to start fertilizing the lawn.  Start an aggressive fertilizer and lawn watering campaign so you’ll have the greenest lawn on the block.

9.  If you have any bushes that have grown to the point that they’re hiding the house, pull them out and plant something smaller.  Beds filled with low growth plants (under 3 feet high) make the house look taller.

10.  Hire a tree trimmer to shape all of the trees, large bushes, etc. on your property and have them lift all of the tree canopies.  Cutting off the lower limbs of a tree raises the canopy and makes the whole yard look more groomed.  It also allows more sunlight in and that helps the grass grow.

11.  When everything is done, then allow the Realtor to come in and take pictures of your house and plant the for sale sign.

12.  Be sure to mow and trim weekly and aggressively water and fertilize your lawn to maintain it’s curb appeal.  Also ask the Realtor for extra fliers and be sure to make sure the info box is fully stocked with fliers every night.

13.  Avoid parking lots of cars in the driveway and on the street.  Clean out the garage and use it to park your car, not for storage.  Rent a storage lot for your stuff.

14.  Remove the baby toys from the front yard and porch.  Actually, remove everything from the front porch that doesn’t belong there.

15.  Find a top producing agent that recently sold houses in your neighborhood.  Our free service can help with that.

Best of luck selling your house.

Bill Petrey
AgentHarvest

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