Spring Cleaning

Well spring has been here awhile in Searcy for sure, but the weather has been putting a damper on doing outside maintenance and spring cleaning as of late! Last night, once again, we had a downpour and tornado warnings.....not to scare you if you are considering a move here, we have very good warning sirens and news coverage. The local stations were on from about 6:00 to 10:00 pm covering the storms. We thankfully had no injuries or damages here and Mother's Day is supposed to be a beautiful one.....back to spring cleaning - some homeowners tend to ignore outside maintenance on their homes, but to keep your property in great condition whether you are getting ready to sell it or not, here are just 3 of the items you need to address and keep in mind:

1) Curb Appeal - if a buyer doesn't like the outside of the home, they tend to not even want to look inside. You may have the most fantastic interior and spent loads of money on it, but it won't matter if the exterior has been ignored. Clean off porches, outside lighting fixtures, wash down siding, keep the lawn mowed, the flower beds and weeded and add fresh mulch. Get rid of any spider webs and bees nests! Make sure there are not alot of items outside and that the property is clutter free. Make sure your doors have a nice coat of paint on them and if you have any rotting trim or peeling paint, get it fixed! This is a requirement when buyers are obtaining an FHA loan. It will save you time and trouble later when you are getting ready to close. Clean your windows as well and have them opened up to let as much light in as possible!

2) Decorating the exterior - If you have a porch, patio or deck, make sure it is clutter free as well, and that it looks inviting and comfortable. There are hundreds of reasonably priced patio sets to choose from and add a few pots of annuals for a spark of color! Potential buyers will see this as an ideal place to entertain family and friends. If you already have these items, make sure they are clean and ready to be used. They may not convey with the property, but homes that are maintained well attract buyers because they know that the home they are thinking of purchasing has been well taken care of.

3) Your Garage or Carport - now you may think this is not a big deal, but I've shown property where you couldn't even walk through the garage and I can tell you this - the men want to look in the attic, so make sure you can pull your access ladder down where they can get up there. Same goes for any storage areas in the garage. If people can't see what they may be purchasing, it's going to be a problem for you. So have a garage sale, donate your unused items or get a storage unit. The neater, the better, the quicker the sale, the more you make!

After posting on this subject, I must now go take care of the items above myself - I am not planning a move by no means, but the more you take care of and maintain your home, the more you'll get back from it in the future and the longer it will last for others to love as much as you do.....