Quick Tips for Enhancing Curb Appeal

Sure, you’ve scrubbed up the inside and put nice towels in the bathroom, but did you neglect to check out the view from the driveway?

Rooms With a View
Having uniform window treatments can make your home look a lot more balanced as home seekers drive up. So if that upstairs room that faces front has burgundy curtains, while other windows have green and white window treatments, try using the same colors for all windows.

Also, replacing sagging or stretched-out blinds can improve your home's overall look.

Color Me Sold
Color makes a big difference and if you are not going to paint your the entire exterior of your home, you can put a fresh coat of paint on the front door. Painting the front door in a contrasting color can do wonders for the look of your home.

Use Good Scents
Earlier this week, we gave some tips for making mulch. We advocated using clippings and other natural compost. But if you want to influence all of a potential buyer's senses you can use cocoa mulch. Buyers will get an instant lift as they approach your house. And a good mood can translate into a home sale.

Are You Your Neighbor's Keeper?

When a homeowner gets ready to sell a home, they spend a lot of time and energy on sprucing up their property. But be aware that your property is not the only on that potential buyers are looking at when they consider purchasing. They are looking at your neighbors' homes as well.
What do you do if a house on your street looks absolutely horrible or is unkempt in some other way?

You can try to talk to the owner, if you feel comfortable doing so.

You can rely on local laws that relate to a property's condition. For example, if your area has a law against someone parking multiple cars on their lawn or laws that prohibit certain exotic pets, you may consider calling the authorities.

We are not advocating these solutions, but merely presenting them as options. Another way to get around a neighborhood eyesore is to seek out the kind of buyer who will not mind that sort of thing. That way you don't have to concern yourself with the neighbor or the government.

Caring for Your Lawn in Summer's Heat

We may have had our tongue planted firmly in our cheek when we talked about AstroTurf replacing real grass lawns in our last post (July 12). Sure it's happening in some places and people in our area are definitely devoting more of their outdoor space to hardscape features such as stone patios, paths, ponds, pools and outdoor rooms. But it's unlikely that Maryland homeowners will desert real grass in the near future.

If you're like most Maryland homeowners, your lawn represents a considerable investment in time and money. A lush green lawn is inviting and a much better selling point and much less susceptible to disease and pests than a dry, brown dormant yard.

With low or sporadic rainfalls this spring and summer, many communities are being forced to implement watering restrictions. Here is what you need to know to make the most of the watering time you're allowed and keep your lawn and plants happy and healthy.

Lawns

• Water slowly, deeply and more thoroughly. You won't need to water as often, and this method will promote moisture build up in the soil, encouraging roots to grow deeper.
• Deeper roots will stay cool and moist even when the upper two inches of soil are bone dry.
• In most soils, this can be accomplished by watering 1 inch per week. Set a rain gauge in the path of your sprinkler to help you figure out how long you need to water to achieve 1 inch.

Plants and Trees

• When watering established trees and plants, don't water at the base of the trunk; you're wasting water.
• The most important area to water is from 4 to 6 feet inside the drip line of a tree to about 8 feet beyond it.
• Set a sprinkler to cover the desired area or coil a soaker hose in concentric rings around the tree or plant at the drip line and somewhat beyond.
• You should let the water run for one and one-half to three hours to soak the ground to a one-foot depth. Check progress by plunging a shovel into the soil and pulling it to one side. This should be relatively easy when the soil is well soaked

By following these simple guidelines you'll maintain a lush green lawn and healthy trees and plants this summer while all around you lawns are turning brown and leaves are curling up and crisping in the heat.

Watch this blog for more great tips on taking care of your home. If you're planning to buy or sell a home in Maryland or the Washington DC area , visit John Day's website. You'll find great tips for buyers and sellers and lots of information about thousands of beautiful homes in hundreds of great communities. Take virtual tours, then call John Day to schedule personal tours of your favorites. If you're buying or selling a home in Maryland or the Washington DC metro area, experienced realtor John Day is your key to success.

Costly Mistakes No Seller Should Make

If you're selling a home today, you know it's a tough market. You can't afford to make mistakes if you're going to compete successfully for the attention of buyers. No one knows this better than veteran realtor John Day, a top seller at prestigious Long & Foster Realtors. John has compiled a list of "8 Costly Mistakes No Seller Should Make" to help sellers remain competitive in today's difficult market.

• Mistake #1: Not enhancing your home's curb appeal. First impressions are everything in home selling. If your home looks inviting and well-maintained from the outside, buyers will want to see what's inside. Make a bad first impression and you won't even get them in the door.
• Mistake #2: Failing to look at your home as if you were a buyer. Little things count when you're buying a home. Fresh paint, cleanliness, orderliness, up-t0-date maintenance all tell a buyer he can move in tomorrow. Showing your house when it's scruffy, messy or dirty is a total turn-off to buyers and they won't be back.
• Mistake #3: Inadequate marketing. A "For Sale" sign is not going to do it. The majority of buyers initiate their home search on the internet so you need a powerful web presence and 24-hour service. Check out John Day's Homes Buy Day website for an excellent example of powerful web marketing.
• Mistake #4: Not knowing how to price your home to sell. "Determining the market value of your home is one of the most challenging aspects of the selling process," says John Day. Setting the selling price is a fine art that requires an intimate knowledge of the local real estate market and buying/selling patterns. List too high and you alienate buyers. List too low and you lose time and money.
• Mistake #5: Offering explanations about your home during showings. Mum's the word at open houses and showings. Let your real estate agent earn his fee. You only hurt yourself if you point out flaws or offer to repair items. Actually, the smartest thing to do is walk out when a potential buyer walks in. Go for a walk, have a cup of coffee, run errands, visit a friend -- just get out of the house.
• Mistake #6: Being inflexible or unwilling to compromise. It's difficult to sell a home in the current market. This is not the time to stand tough. Every seller will have to compromise about things like move out dates, price, seller contributions and necessary repairs. Be prepared to bend or lose the sale.
• Mistake #7: Attempting to hide problems with your home. "The Maryland property disclosure/disclaimer law is very clear," says John Day. "You must disclose all material defects to the buyer, even if the property is being sold, as is." Be straight with your agent. Discuss problems or defects and how to disclose them to potential buyers. Your agent has the professional experience and expertise to do this in as positive a way as possible.
• Mistake #8: Trying to sell your home without a realtor. Marketing is key in selling a house in today's tough market. Realtors have access to broader marketing resources and listing services than the average person. A respected realtor like John Day has the resources and industry contacts to make sure your home gets maximum traffic.

If you're selling a home in Maryland or the greater Washington DC metro area, contact John Day. He'll give you a fair and honest assessment of your home. He'll tell you what you need to do to sell your home quickly and for the best possible price. Visit John's website for more valuable tips for sellers and buyers. If you're buying or selling, John Day is your key to success.

How to Sell Your House in a Tough Market

If your house is on the market, you know how tough it can be to sell right now. Housing inventories are at record highs and it is not unusual for houses to sit on the market for 60 to 90 days. Pricing right is the key, but good staging will give you an edge on the competition. With 2007 turning out to be more competitive than ever, you need every trick in the book to sell your house.

How do you stage a house to give it that "wow" factor? Here are some tips from the experts. Some may seem subtle, but it's always the little things that count.

• Don't distract or offend buyers. No dog hair on the sofa, no litter box in the laundry room, no Playboys in the bedroom, no cobwebs in the corners, no dust hanging off the ceiling fan.


• Pack up the family photos and knick knacks. Get rid of the clutter. Buyers want to envision their belongings in the house, not look at yours.


• No all-white interiors; it's too sterile. But steer away from overly bold colors too. New neutrals in earth tones, greens and off-whites make buyers think they could move in tomorrow, no matter what kind of furniture they have.


• Fertilize the grass and water until it's green. Plant whole flats of colorful flowers. You want masses of bright color and a deep green lawn to invite buyers to look inside.


• Spend a few bucks on a new doormat and, if your knob and knocker are weathered and pitted, new brass ware for the door. It makes your house look fresh and new.


• Spritz a little vanilla spray in the room just before you let the buyer in the door. It evokes a subliminal reaction of pleasure, like the smell of baking cookies.


• You can also sprinkle a few drops of vanilla on the oven door and set the temperature on low for a "fresh baked" smell.


• Lightly fragrant candles and flowers in the bathrooms smell good and look fresh.

Veteran realtor John Day is an expert at staging houses to sell. A top seller with prestigious Long & Foster Realtors, John knows the market. John can price your home right to sell quickly and stage it to appeal to buyers. Visit John Day's website for more valuable tips for sellers. (There are tips for buyers too.) If you're selling or buying a home in Maryland or the Washington DC metro area, John Day is your key to success.

Just One Look ... The Importance of Curb Appeal

"Just one look, baby that's all it took" goes the song and the same is true for home buyers. A buyer's first glance of your home can be all it takes to make or break the sale. Curb appeal is the all important element that makes a buyer want to get out of his car and come inside. If your home doesn't look good on the inside, the buyer will assume it isn't going to look any better on the outside and will just keep on driving.

Creating good curb appeal doesn't have to take a lot of money, but it pays to know where to spend your dollars to have the greatest impact on buyers. There are four sure fire ways to instantly boost your home's appeal, says Maureen Gilmer of the DIY (Do It Yourself) Network:

• Edge it. Give your garden beds a clean, crisp appearance by edging them with thick concrete pavers. The heavier the paver, the better it stays in place. Use ones with tapered edges that can follow the curving lines of landscape beds.
• Mulch it. Cover bare ground around shrubs and trees with mulch to prevent weeds and provide a uniform, neat appearance to your landscaping. Cover bare surfaces with 2 inches of bagged organic mulch for a natural earthy look.
• Color it. Give worn-looking fences and railings a fresh coat of paint or stain. Shy away from colors labelled "redwood," and stick with muted upscale tones in warm grays, soft greens, antique golds or subtle blues that complement your existing house color.
• Plant it. Buy whole flats of seasonal flowers in bright colors. Buy a single color or two coordinated hues rather than mixed colors and plant them en masse to create an eye-catching display. This is no place to be stingy. A couple of flowers here or there won't do the job. You want a mass of color to catch the buyer's eye.

For more tips on creating curb appeal with maximum impact, contact experienced realtor John Day. John is a master at staging homes to create buyer appeal inside and out. Visit John's website for great tips for both sellers and buyers. If you're selling or buying a home in Maryland or the Washington DC metro area, John Day is your key to success.