Hello everyone. I had the good fortune to speak at the 30^th Atlanta Home Show last week before the weather closed the event. Since every home seller is trying to get top dollar for their home, they need to invest in items that will generate a good return for them. Here are some of the topics and free tips I presented to the audience regarding home staging. I hope you find them helpful.

GETTING HIGHER OFFERS FROM CURB APPEAL:

$        The mail box - Remember that for a potential buyer or Realtor, their first experience with the home begins at the curb. Ensure the mail box post is freshly painted or stained, perfectly straight, and that the numbers for the home are clearly visible from both sides of the street. The mail box must be in excellent condition and make sure if you have plantings at the base of the mail box, that they are in excellent shape. Consider adding a punch of color with bright annuals mixed in with any perennials

$        Driveway, walkways and gutters - Consider pressure washing the driveway, walkways and gutters a few days before the house goes on the market. Several concrete stains are available if you need to tie several different materials together to create a cohesive look. Also repair any cracks in any of these areas.

$        Lawn and flower beds - There is an old saying in real estate, "if they can't see it, they can't sell it". The home should be clearly visible from bother directions unless it is an estate that is well of the main road. Trim all trees up so that the front of the house is clearly visible. Trim bushes (or remove them if trimming them will make them too scraggly) on the front of the house to just below any windows that are on the front if the bushes are in front of any windows, remember, buyers love light! Reseed and aerate the lawn and freshen up flower beds with new mulch, removing any dead flowers or growth from the previous season. To ensure a classic look that is easy on the eye, keep the same color palette of plants throughout the yard and deck areas, taking special care to select flowers appropriate for the amount of sunlight they will receive. Remove all broken pots, yard art, old hoses, when in doubt, throw it out!

$        Front entry - an inexpensive quick update to the house is to repaint the front door, install new hardware (keyed to the existing locks), new kick plate, latch set, kick plate and new light fixtures. If the fixtures are of a classic nature and in overall good condition, a quick coat of spray paint the same color of the fixture is a cheap way to update the look, just make sure the fixture is disassembled before painting! Add a new welcome matt and pair of planters with bright annuals and you have a new entry. A final tip, remove screens from all windows on the front of the home. The metal screens oxidize with age and get an ash-gray color to them. Label the screens and store them so that if the buyer wants them, you have them available. Wash all the windows and clean between the window sill and the window frame.  These photos are from an investor owned property we worked on a few years back.