Inside Real Estate: Exterior Maintenance for Selling

When selling your house, there are a variety of things you can do to maximize your home's appeal and value. Remember that many buyers are looking at multiple houses, so it's important to help your house make a good impression. We'll talk about six major aspects of your home and what you can do to improve them. Previously, we talked about curb appeal and interior maintenance.

Today, we'll talk about exterior maintenance. This is similar to the work you've done on curb appeal, but it includes things that a buyer might not notice from across the street. This up-close impression is still important: like your interior maintenance, taking care of your home's outside tells the buyer that it's been well taken care of, inside and out.

Suggestions:

• Paint or varnish doors and polish hardware like doorknobs and door knockers
• Paint or replace the street numbers on the house
• Clean or wash siding, windows and screens, A/C unit, gutters
• Clean pool and patio or porch
• Repair or paint siding, trim, gutters, shutters, glazing, and window frames
• Clean oil stains off driveway and garage floor
• Make sure all exterior lighting is working
• Repair leaky faucets
• Deodorize septic tank
• Straighten wood pile
• Clean around trash cans