Real Estate
Selling Your Home: Make a Drive-By a Must Buy!
By Justin Havre
Oct 8, 2008 - 11:53:30 AM

You may think that selling a house is all down to photos and web sites these days, but you would be surprised to know how many prospective buyers will have their own 'drive-by' before they ask an agent about your home. 

According to statistics, 80% of new home buyers go on to the Internet and use the realty web sites  on their own and then check things out before they speak to your listing  realtor.

How will your home stand up to a drive-by.... right now?

Real estate agents call it 'curb appeal' - obviously because it is relating to the impression that your home will give to someone who is sitting outside the house at the curb, in their car - eyeing up your home! Mostly curb appeal applies to the exterior, as the interior is usually out of sight from this angle.

The fact that it has a name means that curb appeal is an important part of house selling. To give your home curb appeal - think spring clean; the operative word here is PICKY! No old newspapers or junk mail lying about, no recycle bins and not a weed in sight.

House selling can make a person into an eternal nagger! Teenagers wash their car and leave the sponge and bucket on the driveway; younger kids come in and drop pucks and gloves at the front door and bikes are always hastily dumped on the driveway while the owner goes in search of a drink!

But these items can be temporary; do you have any permanent fixtures that must be moved? Where do you keep your garbage bins? They must be kept around the back, out of sight, at least for the duration of the sale of your home. The inconvenience can be worked around.

How does the front lawn look, is it green and nicely edged with straight lines along its pathways? If it looks a little bare would you consider spending a hundred bucks on some bushes and  trees?

A group of pretty leafy plants in pots   placed in the center or to one side of your yard or front door will add some instant eye appeal. Add a couple of rocks for aesthetic appeal and you have instant landscaping! You can leave the shrubs in their pots and move them with you if you become attached to them.  

This is the time of year when you can pick up inexpensive gardening items on sale. Consider buying some of those easy to install 'push-in' garden lights. Even when they are not alight they still look attractive.

If you have to have your cord of wood showing, at least make sure that it is stacked neatly. Leave the tarp off it for a while; wood looks more attractive than a piece of plastic sheeting.

Be sure to get into the habit of parking your vehicle  inside the garage and keep the garage door closed. This way the entire appearance  of the home is not broken up by a car being stuck in the front of it.

Exterior house lights, including  garage lights, are an asset to a prospective home buyer; they are like a luxury that is thrown in. If you have exterior lamps that do not use, put light bulbs in them and keep them on in the evenings.

Likewise, be sure to have a warm glowing light bulb for the exterior light that is at your front door; this way your home will look welcoming and the inviting ambience may subconsciously tempt a prospective buyer to check further into your home.

Complete Calgary real estate search: View all condos in Calgary including Market Stats for Calgary houses. Access photos, virtual tours, neighbourhood info, maps and more at JustinHavre.com.