Home Staging:: The Exterior

I am so excited about this post!  I know the sign says “For Sale” and we’re supposed to be talking about “home staging”, but I’m telling you what…this whole series with The Nester has me ready to go out and get busy! These ideas are universal and they are more about creating a feel than they are about selling a house. The simple fact is that if you create the feelings of comfort, warmth, excitement, and happiness then you’ll have a much better chance of selling a house for sale.  So, be ye selling or staying…herein lies inspiration!

Let’s Start Outside

We all know the saying: You only get one chance to make a first impression! This is especially true with houses.  In this post, The Nester (who’s words of wisdom appear in blue) and I will show you a few simple steps you can take to give your house that curb appeal WOW! factor we all want.

There are three “snapshots” someone visiting your home for the first time will see.

Street Scene -

Oh, Nester’s gotta talk here! I’m so bossy–

Tim, This is a vital part of selling your home. People ALWAYS underestimate the drive by.  This is it, the first impression, if they drive by and don’t have that emotional connection {especially us womenfolk} they may not even choose to come inside and see what a fabulous house you have.  You need to do everything in your power to make your home irresistibly attractive to all who drive by.  Don’t worry, we’ll tell you how.

The first step is to just walk out and take a look! Pay attention to these details:

Yard and Landscaping – Make sure the grass is cut and clean. Depending on the size of your yard, a little bit of sod might be a good investment. Make sure all the weeds are pulled, mulch is fresh, and dead stuff is gone!
The Front Walls and Windows – In our last house, we lived under some huge oak trees and those things were messy! I was always amazed at how much difference it made just to pressure wash the house and clean all the windows. If the house is in bad need of it, It might make sense to paint it.

A word of caution here though, unless your paint is in very bad shape, you could invest money you won’t get back in painting the entire outside. Only do that if it really needs it.

The First Step

The next place people will collect a mental snapshot is when they first get out of the car. When they first touch the ground with their own feet, people will look around. See if you can set things up so that the visitor will park in the most flattering spot.

A few ideas:

Get some color and some visual interest in that first view. You can use flowers, furnishings, whatever! Just make sure they aren’t staring at your garbage cans or your lawn mower!

You might want to stand in this spot and see if there are any maintenance issues visible from here. Even tiny things such as a broken sprinkler head, a bent length of roof gutter, or a broken light fixture by the garage door, will give the impression that the house isn’t well maintained. Even if you’ve gone to great lengths to get it in perfect shape! Remember first impressions!

The Front Walk and Entry

I’ve been to The Nester’s house and I tell you what…she is who you want to hear from on this, her front porch is incredible! So, Nester, what say you?

Tim, wait, should I call you Remodeling Guy? you are completely 100% right about the exterior and the many stages in which people see your home.  Remember, you are selling a product, a dream, a lifestyle.  You want your entry to be attractive, neat, and draw people in.

The walk up to the house can also be a make or break moment for your potential buyers. Do you have a walkway up to the house?  If not, consider getting one–lay some pretty pebbles and mix it in with some large stones from the local big box store.   Get rid of weeds, sweep and draw the eye to the front door.

If you have old, over grown shrubs planted in front of your house consider pulling them out.   You’ll be surprised at how updated and fresh your yard can look.  Tie chains or rope around the base of the bushes and hook it to your husband’s truck and you can have them pulled out in a matter of minutes.  (cool, a chance to use the 4-wheel drive!)

Don’t have much money to replace them?  Spread fresh mulch or pine straw and plant a bed of flowers all in one color for impact.

If you have a front porch, emphasize it, use only REAL plants and flowers, make sure you include some furniture  {you can always find a wicker bench on sale} and  hang some outdoor drapes, put a pretty rug on the floor, place pillows on any seating–these small details really make the outdoors feel like a room which can make your home seem even bigger.  The best part, this is all stuff that you get to take with you when you sell!

She means it too! Take a look at this picture of The Nester’s front porch…and she isn’t trying to sell this house:

The front door: even if you have no porch, no walkway and no yard I know you have a door. Make sure it’s clean and that the hardware is sparkling.

If it’s dull dress it up with a fresh coat of paint in a color that pops and add a splash of color with an urn full of flowers placed next to the door.

Emphasize Strengths

By emphasizing your home’s strengths and creating a scene that is welcoming and pleasing to the eye, you can have the “stage set” for a great showing when a prospective buyer walks through the front door!

Next Monday, The Nester and I will be back at The Nest to talk about sealing the deal as people walk into your home.  If you missed the first post in this series, check it out here.  You’ll be able to see the “I swear I won’t publish them” pictures that The Nester posted.

And, of course, if your are new to the Remodeling Guy blog, please take a look around.  I think you’ll find a lot you can use!  Take a look at my far right sidebar…there you will find the place to sign up for our RSS feed or email subscription.  You’ll also find the sign-up form for our Monthly Newsletter which is a great resource over and above what you’ll find on the blog!  Check out reader comments on the March Newsletter here.

So, who’s with me on getting out there and going for it?  I think I’m going to start with some paint.  What about you?