Increase the curb appeal of your home - In todays tight real estate market home sellers need a very advantage they can get to get top dollar for their home. One of the easiest ways to do this is to increase the "curb appeal" of your home. Curb appeal is quite simply cleaning up the outside of your home and property to give the buyers a good immediate first impression. There are many things you can do to increase the curb appeal. Some simple things are make sure the bushs are trimmed and the lawn is mowed. Nothing looks worse then unmowed lawn and bushs that are growing wild!

It is important to remember that shrubs and bushes really never stop growing. Overgrown shrubs can obscure the actual size and appeal of your home.

Another tip to help your home show better is to open up your rooms. Since you will be moving anyway start to box up unnecessary items in your home to make rooms appear larger and more open. It also makes it easier for the new owners to visualize how their furniture, etc will look in your house.

If your home is going to be vacant while you try to sell it, hire a local landscaping company to help with routine maintenence. Mowing the lawn, keeping plants watered, weeding, etc.

Spread some fresh mulch, plant some brightly colored flowers. A little bit of effort goes a long way in increasing curb appeal.

Do you have pets? If so, you should consider moving your pets outside before showing your home to prospective buyers.
Even if your pets are house trained some buyers may feel that your house isn't clean simply because a pets lives inside.

On a survey taken by real estate professionals, touching up the trim on the house will enhance curb appeal. If your home is in need of exterior painting, try touching up the windows and trim of your home.

Brighter and lighter colors always make rooms look larger. If you have rooms with off colors, consider repainting them to a neutral colors.

A clean and neat exterior will let the potential buyer know that you have kept the house in good repair. Hire a window washing service to professionally clean windows and clear away cobwebs and debris.

Work on your landscaping beds, add some colorful flowers (depending on the time of year) and try to create a peaceful, yet beautiful environment. Make the front walk to your front door appear beautiful and inviting. Edge around all of the walks, the driveway, patio (if possible), and everywhere else that edging can be done. Rake all leaves and dispose of during applicable seasons. Fill all bare spots in the yard with new grass seed. Check on your mailbox and replace or re-paint if needed. Replace, repaint, or re-tarnish your address numbers that are located on your home, mailbox and/or curb by the street.

One trick used by seasoned realtors is to have the house smell appealing when it is shown to potential buyers. A fresh smelling home can easily be accomplished with scented candles. Be sure and turn on the furnace fan to circulate the scent throughout the home about 1 hour before the showing is scheduled.

Home owner maintanence tips - There are many things you can do to your home to cut down on costly repairs and stop problems before they start. Some of these tips are as follows

Grading around foundation

Make sure there is un upward slope to the soil grading around the foundation of your home. This will help carry away moisture from the house and keep basement drier during rain and in the spring when the snow melts. It will also help to eliminate stress cracks in your basement walls.

Check your basement frequently for any moisture. Mold spores develop in moist areas and can become a health hazard.

If you have any shrubs or bushes that contact the house trim them back. Insects such as carpenter ants often use the branches that are touching your home to gain initial access to your home.

Always replace your furnace filter at least once/month throughout the year. During the winter you may even want to consider changing it more often since it is running much more. Also, if you are having any work done in your home such as a remodeling job or something similiar, you should make sure you are changing the filter quite often because of all of the dust that is being ****ed in through the cold air returns. Also, make sure you have your furnace and/or central air unit(s) maintained every year, or every other year if the unit(s) is quite new, by a licensed professional. This will allow the units to run smoothly and most likely last a lot longer.

If you own a home with cedar siding, be sure to have it painted every 4-5 years. If your home has a side of the house that is directly in the sun for the majority of the day, then you may want to paint it more often. The paint will protect your siding, as well as give it some nice curb appeal.

Make sure that your gutters are in good shape and cleaned out regularly.

Caulk around doors and windows to prevent moisture from entering your house. This will also save on heating/cooling costs.

Once a year, get up on the roof and take a look at the shingles or tiles. Look at the roofing under any missing shingles. If needed, replace a portion of the roofing and/or shingles.

And remember that roofs have a life of between 12 and 25 years. Re-roofing before any water damage takes hold can save thousands of dollars. If your roof is too steep, or you don't have the time, pay a roofer to inspect it. If he says it needs replacing, always get a second opinion and bids.

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