Create Special Winter Curb Appeal

Many folks have heard that it is very difficult to sell your home during the winter months. No problem!  Just a few easy steps will make your home attractive to potential buyers.  In Houston the climate is somewhat more moderate than colder areas.  However, Houstonians have our share of gray, cold, rainy days that take the shine off of thoughtful steps homeowners have made to prepare their homes for showing. Curb appeal rain or shine is still a deal breaker, which could cause a prospective client to drive by your home without a second look. If you are putting your home on the market this winter take steps to make create a special curb appeal at the beginning of the marketing process.

Begin on the Home Exterior

As always the first step to every plan for marketing your home is to check your outdoor environment for needed repairs. Chipped, faded or peeling trim paint around doors and windows will need to be corrected before really cool weather sets in. Is your siding looking a little mildewed from all of the recent heavy rains? Rent a pressure washer or contract with a company that can clean up your siding and driveway before that for sale sign goes up in the front yard.

Now that you have taken care of the first steps, it is time to move out to the wooden deck if you have on.  Repair, pressure wash and re-stain your deck if you have not done so already.  Age really shows on a deck so make sure that there are no screws or nails backing out of the structure. It is time to put on a good coat of stain and refresh the waterproofing finish. Maybe you should add safety strips to the steps to protect visitors from slips or falls.

Did you Decorate for the Holidays?

If you put out seasonal decorations for Thanksgiving or Christmas get them down. Keep the decorations simple with tubs of seasonal flowers or a pretty decorative wreath that is more transitional. Removing seasonal decoration is an important part of the de-personalization you have already completed inside your home. If you do not keep a mat on the front porch this is a good time to put out the welcome mat. A mat will help ensure slip free footing of potential buyers when entering the house. A mat will also help to keep down dirt and debris coming in the front door. 

As always, keep the yard work up. It’s not the time to skip mulching beds, letting watering and fertilization schedules slide and letting the leaves lay on the front and back yards. Do you have a pool? Make sure that you pool service keeps up on maintaining its sparkling appearance. If you drain your pool keep the leaves and debris swept up out of the basin.

Ready to team up with a realtor to market your home? Contact Jason for solid advice and representation in marketing your home at 832-541-5060.