We have come to the end of our weekend do it yourself projects and I think that we should definitely end it with a bang – and painting.  Remember, the first thing that people are going to see is the exterior of your home, so if you have a color that is not appealing to the buyer, they are most likely going to pass up the home.

In my neighborhood alone, we have three or four houses that are mustard yellow and I would never, ever consider buying them because I can not stand looking at them.  Choosing the right color for your exterior is definitely important and you want to make sure that it is something that will appeal to everyone.

Typically, white and black or even some greens and blues is a fantastic idea, that way you can really appeal to anyone that is passing by!

One of the biggest things that people constantly overlook is their driveway and also any sidewalks or steps.  Did you know that dirt, grime and any car leaks can actually stain your driveway and while it might seem a little silly – it is something that can be very appealing to potential buyers.

There are some simple solutions for you to keep your driveway as well as your sidewalk extremely clean and one is to power wash it.  You can actually just rent a power washer from any hardware store and can use it over and over again until the driveway is clean.

You can actually rent a power washer for typically $100.00 but I’m sure that you can actually find it cheaper too.

Now that we have talked a little bit why it is important to ensure that your home looks good on the inside and out, let’s go ahead and explore exactly what curb appeal is and how you can achieve it.  For one, you want to make sure that whenever you are trying to achieve curb appeal, it looks fantastic.

Curb appeal is actually your home’s first impression on any potential buyers, as it is certainly one of the main ways that you can draw the crowd right into your home.  It can also affect how much your home is worth and also the saleability of your home.

In the next blog, we are going to talk about some of the overlooked things that potential buyers will notice but you might not.

Finally, spring is here and while it might be raining outside, you want to make sure that you are getting ready to start planning all of those do-it-yourself projects that you are dying to do whenever the weather breaks.  To be honest, dealing with real estate in general is very, very expensive; however it is also worth it if you do make the sale.

That is why saving money is honestly going to be the most important step when working with real estate and that is why doing projects yourself can be a fantastic idea, as that way, you can save some cash.

Have you ever heard the term curb appeal?  That is what we are going to explore in the next few blogs and how to make your home look amazing this spring!

So shopping around for the very best price and company is certainly important but did you know that just like car insurance, once you raise you deductible, it can actually save you a lot of money in the long run?  Basically, the higher the deductible, the less premium you will have to pay and that is music to a lot of people’s ears.

However – whenever you are raising your deductible, you will want to think about it because if something does happen, you may have to pay more out of pocket.  So that is the downside of raising it.  However, let’s say if you raise up from a $500.00 deductible to $1,000.00, you could save about 25% on your premium!

More tips and tricks in the next blog guys, I know that you are all about saving money and I am here to help!

The real estate market is all about how well you can represent yourself and the home that you are selling.  To be perfectly honest, keeping up with the times in the way of decorating is hard.  There are so many things that you can do with your home, it is hard to keep up with them all.  The trends are constantly going to be changing and to be perfectly, you do not always have to be in fashion.

However, keeping with the times is important.  Grandma’s house is no longer the decorated times in the real estate market.  Keep that in mind.  Keeping yourself informed is very, very important.  Reading up on what is hot and what is not is a fantastic way to ensure that you will be able to offer a beautiful home.

Even if you are not selling your home, keeping up with the decorating tips is a fantastic way to ensure that your home looks its best!

Now that we have talked a little bit about why you should be staging, it is now time for us to dive really deep into this question.  To be honest, staging is something that not a lot of people do – however, it is something that will sell.  The great thing about staging is that you can truly turn a room into something extremely unexpected.  For example – you could switch around a dining room and a living room.

The key to staging is to make sure that you declutter your home and ensure that the home looks fresh, clean and very nice.  Everything should be neat and tidy before your open house and you certainly want to make sure that you bring your best home forward during the staging.

Staging your home is not easy, as I said in the last blog, but it is something that you will absolutely need to do – especially in this day and age in order to sell your home.

I mentioned in the last blog about tax refunds and that is exactly what this particular program is.  You can a tax credit of about 10% but a maximum of about $8,000 – which is honestly a pretty good deal.  If you were going to buy a home anyway, this particular program is a fantastic one because you are basically going to be getting $8,000 shaved right off of the price right off of the bat!

Another cool thing about this program is that the tax credit is not refundable, so you do not have to pay it back in the end … which makes this deal that much sweeter right?