Easy Ways to Increase Curb Appeal When Selling a Home in Bergen County

By Pascack Press

Real Estate & Business Section

In today's housing market, homeowners need to be more proactive than ever before when it comes to selling their homes.

Whereas the real estate boom at the turn of the century made things easy on sellers, the current real estate climate is not so seller-friendly.

To make their homes more attractive to prospective buyers, these are small and easy projects, but if neglected they'll give buyers the impression that other, bigger things might have been neglected as well.

If your home has a front porch or stoop, be sure to inspect it for cracks. An older porch or stoop should be replaced, and any chips or cracks in the steps should be fixed.

• Ready the roof. A new room is very expensive, and buyers understandably often run from homes that need a new roof.
  

Sellers should hire their own home inspector to determine the condition of the roof before putting the home up for sale. If you wait until after putting the home up for sale, it will likely take more time to sell the home, and buyers will wonder why the home was listed so long.

Know the home's ups and downs before putting it up for sale to minimize any potential concerns from buyers.

• Perfect the paint job. For homes without siding, be sure that the paint job is up to snuff. Any areas with peeling or chipping paint should receive a fresh coat of paint, and this is another job that should be handled wel ebfore listing the home

• Lavish the lawn with attencion. Buyers love a lush green lawn, and that the lawn goes a long way to creating a solid first impresson. The first thing buyers will see once they pull up curbside is the lawn. If the grass is dry with brown spots or apprears neglected, many buyers will find that hard to over look.
  

Homeowners preparing to sell their home in the fall should lavish attencion on their lawn throughout the summer, keeping it watered and possibly hiring a landscaping service to make it more appealing. Consider planting flowers or other decorative folliage.