Hamilton Real Estate Today!

Special to "Hamilton Real Estate Today" by contributing Blogstress, Professional Stager and fellow Realtor

" Rachel Vanderveen"

Well we’ve spent our last weeks cleaning and decluttering. It hasn’t been easy, I’m sure. This week, I’m going to ask you to get out of the house forget about the clutter and start thinking about the curb. If you’re like me, you walk into and out of your front door without noticing a whole heck of a lot as the months and years pass. In the time that goes by, a lot happens to the area that surrounds the door to your home. I always tell my clients that they have five seconds to make an impression. Hamilton home buyers usually make up their minds about your home almost as soon as they pass the threshold. This week, I’m going to tell you how to do everything you can to spruce up your curb appeal, and make your five seconds count.

Let’s talk yard. If it’s winter time you need to make sure that your walks and driveway is totally shoveled and clear of snow and ice. Having obstacles in the way of entering the home makes the first thought about living in your place have to do with what it will be like to have to shovel the walk. This is not the impression we want to be first on our buyer’s mind. If there is a melt happening on a warm day, be sure that your gutters are turned in the right direction and not running onto your driveway or walkway, as this presents a hazard if the weather should turn cold and freeze the run-off. 

In the summer time, I want your lawn to look like the Real Housewives of Beverley Hills: manicured, maintained, dressed-up, and fake. I think all of that is pretty self-explanatory except the “fake” part which just means that I want your lawn to look so good that Hamilton  home buyers are going to have to stoop down to see if your grass is real or not. Haul out the whipper snipper, garden shears, work gloves, and fertilizer because it has got to be clean and fresh-looking. Your garden should always have soil in it that is turned, weed-free, and deep black. Try to avoid leaving the soil to bake in the sun for days which produces a flat cracked look. Garden gnomes, colourful windmills and personal decorative garden items really have to go. Keep your lawn simple and straight-forward. The chances of capturing a buyer who has a green thumb is about fifty-fifty, and there are certainly cases where lots of landscaping is a drawback for potential buyers who envision the long hours it will take to maintain such intricacy. A simple yard appeals to gardeners and non-gardeners alike, because it can also be a blank slate for someone with a knack for plants.

Your mailbox and light fixture should be polished to a high shine. If you can’t make them shine with elbow grease and a Norwex cloth, than spray paint them or replace them entirely. The door knob should be screwed firmly into the door and the key should fit easily into the keyhole and turn like butter. There’s nothing worse than making your potential real estate purchasers shiver in the cold while your agent fumbles with a stiff or unforgiving lock.

Wipe your front door from top to bottom and make sure that it is free of scuffs, marks, or dust. I always like to see a wreath on a front door, but make sure it is neutral in colour and seasonally appropriate. We don’t need to see sleigh bells with gold glitter in the middle of July.

I always like to spruce up the front step by adding potted plants to each step up on the way to the door. Red is the best colour to use there as it creates and interesting and inviting focal point on the step. If you’re not a person who is great with keeping plants alive, just get a few pots from the dollar store, fill them up with gravel and put fake red flowers in there (also from the dollar store). 

It’s hard to believe that all these little steps really have an effect on how people feel about your home, but remember: in real estate we are selling an experience as much as we are selling a home, so make sure the experience you’re offering is as warm and inviting as you are!

Until Next Time…

Blessings

Rachel Vanderveen is a Calgary Realtor specializing in Calgary condos, South East Calgary Real Estate, home staging and Calgary Real Estate Investment, and Auburn Bay Realty.  But more importantly she is a mother to four adorable children, a lover of Auburn Bay Real Estate, and an avid writer of Calgary Real Estate Blogs. For more information on Calgary Home Buyers, or searching mlslistings.ca, visit her website here.