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Your best source for Real Estate in Wichita
Kansas
No one knows Wichita homes and Wichita neighborhoods better
than Larry Underhill. He has been the number one Realtor in the Wichita real
estate market for the past six years and has been one of the top three Realtors
in the United States for the past five years.
Wichita Real Estate
You will
find listed here some of the more progressive Wichita real estate agents who
have turned to the Internet as a means of putting local residential properties
before a national home buying audience.
Curb Appeal
by Bruce
Andrews
First impressions do make a difference when selling your home.
Oftentimes, before making the phone call to schedule an appointment, a
homebuyer will drive by your home to determine if they may be further
interested. If the house presents a good impression, then you receive the phone
call for an appointment. Many homes are eliminated from a potential
homebuyer’s list because they do not give a good first impression. The
work you put into sprucing up the inside will be in vain if the exterior of
your home does not draw people in. In the real estate world this is known as
"curb appeal", that is, your home should be appealing to potential buyers from
their initial curbside or drive-by viewing.
Achieving curb appeal is
not very difficult, nor does it have to be very costly. Assuming your roof,
gutters, etc… are not in obvious need of repair, most of your efforts will
be focused on cosmetics. Step back from your home or better yet, go to the curb
and take a long objective look at your home. You may want to take a look from
different angles. Compare your home to others on your block. You will be
focusing on two main areas; the house itself and the landscaping surrounding
your house.
When observing
your home, start at the top of the roof and work your way down. Write down
areas that need attention. You are striving for a look that makes observers
feel that your home is neat, clean and well cared for. The following areas of
your exterior deserve special attention:
Roof and chimney -
Shingles should be intact with none missing and mortar between the bricks
should be secure. Although expensive to replace, a roof or chimney in disrepair
often discourages potential homebuyers.
Exterior siding - If
your siding needs to be painted, it is well worth the expense and time. Choose
a color that is fairly neutral and that coordinates with homes in your
immediate vicinity. Power washing dirty siding can make a house look almost new
again.
Gutters – You should repair and clean gutters.
Weeds growing from your gutters are a good example of a negative first
impression. Nothing says "poor maintenance" like weeds in a gutter.
Windows and Trim - If the paint on the trim or windows is peeling,
scrape and paint. Replace any broken glass and finally clean the windows inside
and out.
Front Entry Door - If your front door has not been
painted in 3-4 years, consider a fresh coat of paint. Depending on the style of
your home, a contrasting color from your siding may add visual interest. The
front door should welcome buyers into your home. A nice looking wreath in tune
with the season gives a warm homey touch.
Shutters - If
applicable, repair and paint if needed. Usually, a contrasting color matching
the front door or a neutral color works best.
Foundation –
You should repair visible cracks. Basement windows should be repaired if
cracked, cleaned and trim painted if necessary. It sometimes helps to paint the
exposed foundation on the exterior of your home but you should avoid loud
colors.
Porch – Once again, repair and paint railings,
posts and steps. Place a few nice chairs and a table with plants if space
permits. Place a welcome mat by the door. Hanging flower baskets add a nice
touch but don’t forget to water them. An inexpensive idea to dramatically
enrich your curb appeal is to add a brass mailbox, a new brass porch light,
brass house numbers and a brass kick plate. For less that $80.00 dollars you
will transform the look of your home.
Now that the house’s
exterior is in good shape it is time to concentrate on the landscaping around
your home. Your goal is to have the landscaping complement your home, not
detract from or compete with it. Homebuyers should not have to look through
overgrown shrubs or trees to see your home. Anything overgrown or so large that
it blocks windows, doorways or sidewalks should be trimmed back or removed. Any
diseased or dying plants should be removed. Aim for a few plants that serve as
a focal point, and fill in with other smaller plants. Make beds deep enough to
accommodate shrubs when they are fully grown (usually 5-6 feet). Visit a local
nursery for ideas. You can get great ideas by simply driving around the
neighborhood as well. After trimming and planting, cover the soil with a thick
3-4 inch layer of mulch. Keep the beds free from weeds, and depending on your
location and season, add a few annuals for color interspersed with the bushes.
Keep everything trimmed and neat so the focus is on your home. Keep your lawn
cut, apply fertilizer and weed control if needed.
Remember, your
landscaping should enhance your home, not overpower it. Keeping everything
trimmed and neat will give your home the "curb appeal" needed to make someone
want to take a closer look. Once you get the potential buyer inside…well
that’s the subject for another article! Stay tuned.
Bruce Andrews has been in the real estate business for over
20 years. He has experience in real estate investing as well as practicing real
estate as a broker for several years. He is currently President of Fifty States
Realty. www.fiftystatesfsbo.com
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