Beyond Curb Appeal: Staging the Exterior of Your Home To Sell
Staging the Exterior of Your Home: Repairs
The first thing you need to ask when getting your home ready to sell is if there are any obvious repairs that need to take place. Walk around your house with a critical eye. Look at the paint, trim, siding, roof, window casings, doors, foundation – is there anything that looks old, chipped, damaged or rough?
Sometimes when staging the exterior of your home it helps to stand back at the street and look from the point of view of a buyer that might be driving by. What can they see? Where are the rough spots? What are the best features of your home that you want to highlight?
Staging the Exterior of Your Home: Pressure Wash Surfaces & Wash Windows
Homes collect dust, grime, dirt and pollution. Your house may look like it needs a coat of exterior paint, but it *may* just be dirty! When staging the exterior of your home, removing the layers of dirt from your house and driveway and walkways will make it look fresh and new again.
When staging the exterior of your home you should even look at cleaning any patio furniture and potted plants – they get dusty too.
You can DIY a pressure wash, but it might be worth your time to hire a professional.
Staging the Exterior of Your Home: Fix Any Pet Damage
One important aspect of staging the exterior of your home is fix any damage caused by your dog! You may love your dog – but the next owner of your house won’t want to deal with any yard problems.
Some things to look for:
- Scratched fencing, scratched wood on the deck or scratches on the back door
- Bare patches in your lawn or dead grass
- Holes dug in the garden
Ideally, there should be no sign of your dog (or cat) when prospective buyers come to call.
Staging the Exterior of Your Home: Think Green
During the summer, greenery makes all the difference. Make sure that the front lawn is green, weeded and trimmed. Flower beds should be manicured and freshly planted and weed-free. No one wanted to move in and feel like they have instantly have weeding to do. Finally, adding some potted plants to the porch is a nice touch and a way to go the extra mile.
Staging the Exterior of Your Home: Little Touches
A few extra touches will make a BIG impact:
- Replace or refresh the hardware on the door
- Make sure that any fountains, fire pits or spot lights are turned on
- Make sure that blinds or shads look clean and well cared for
- Refresh your home address signage – make the numbers big and easy to see from the street
- Leave your lights on at night – it allows people to drive by and see the house in its *ahem* best light in the evening
Some additional resources:
- Our VIDEO on preparing to show your home
- Need some help getting some big projects done before you’re ready to sell? Here are our tips for hiring a contractor.
- Some exterior staging ideas on Pinterest.
