Easy Ways to Boost Curb Appeal

Provided By Good Housekeeping These quick, inexpensive changes will help you have the best house on the block Whether you simply want your home to look its smartest or you're thinking about putting it on the market in a year or two, these quick, inexpensive changes will help you have what you want: the best house on the block. 1. Get a new door. "The front door is the most telling detail of your house," says Alan Hanbury, Jr., former chairman of the Remodelors Council of the National Association of Home Builders. You can give your home's entryway an instant lift by choosing custom colors, handsome woods such as mahogany or cherry, or cut-glass storm doors. 2. Think shutters. "If you have an older house, this is one way to add character without spending a lot," says Rocco P. Orlando Jr., an architect in Ridgewood, New Jersey. You can hunt for them in antiques shops or order them from a home store. Shutters are also a good place to add vibrant accent colors like Benjamin Moore's Caribbean Blue Water, Valspar's Oatlands Yellow, or Home Depot's spicy margarita greens and chili-pepper reds. 3. Accessorize. Brass knockers, mailboxes, and lanterns are small investments that make your house look great, says Tim Carter, a syndicated home-improvement columnist (askthebuilder.com). Since these accents can lose their shine, choose tarnish-free pieces such as Baldwin Hardware's line, starting at $50 for a mail slot. House numbers, kickplates, and doorbell buttons are also available. 4. Spruce up the grounds. Trim shrubs so that doors and windows aren't hidden. Fill window boxes with vines, geraniums, and ornamental grasses, or plant tried-and-true perennials like climbing hydrangea. The garden should complement the style of the house, says Don Haldeman, owner of Sycamore Springs Garden Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. If your house is contemporary, skip the old-fashioned flowering plants and select carefully trimmed spruces or spiral topiaries. 5. Paint it right. Traditional colors are big right now, says John Crosby Freeman, a color and design consultant. And unlike eggplant purple (which was hot a few years ago), the classics never go out of style. Benjamin Moore's Historical Colors collection is the company's most popular line, with 174 shades. Timeless favorites from Valspar's American Tradition line include Coastal Peach (inspired by San Diego's Hotel Del Coronado) and Woodlawn Sterling Blue (from George Washington's daughter's estate). Since the average cost to paint a two-story home is more than $8,000, don't rush your decision. Check out homes you like in your area and ask the owners for the names of the paint colors they used. Read more: Easy Ways to Boost Curb Appeal - Good Housekeeping

How To Make Your House Irresistible

Provided By Sally Morrow
Source Good House Keeping

The longer your house sits on the market, the less cash it commands. To maximize your profits, use these expert tricks.

Dianna Lenz, 32, and her husband were ecstatic the day they got the permit to start building their dream house in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. One catch: They had to unload their current home first. "I was really nervous," Lenz says. "We needed to sell quickly so we could use the proceeds for the new construction."

She needn't have stressed: The house sold to the first person who looked at it -- and for several thousand dollars more than its appraisal price. The credit, Lenz says, goes largely to Joanne Hans, a real-estate enhancement expert in Mechanicville, N.Y. In this new but rapidly growing specialty, professionals help clients stage their homes - either for sale or just for a face lift - by using little more than the furnishings and accessories that the client already owns.

"A well-staged house creates a vision of a beautiful life," says Donna Marie Baldwin, a top agent in Hillsborough, Calif., for Re/Max Realtors. "When buyers walk through a house, they feel like they're going to have the same life as the people who live there. So the picture has to be a happy one - clean, uncluttered and tranquil." As Lenz discovered, making small adjustments in furnishings and presentation can determine how fast your house sells.

So how do you create that "buy me" feel? Good Housekeeping mined the top enhancement experts for their best-kept secrets and came up with a package of tips that will take your abode from ho-hum to Hollywood-perfect. Maybe you'll be so impressed with your home's new look, you'll decide you really don't want to move after all!

5 easy fixes to make your home more inviting

• Place a box of chocolates and a water pitcher with lemon slices in the kitchen.

• Hide pet toys, bowls and litter boxes.

• Heat an apple pie in the oven. Studies show that the smell of baked goods makes people nostalgic for childhood.

• Light candles in every room to create a glow.

• Put away toilet brushes, plungers, sponges, toothbrushes and medications.

Fake more space

• Buyers always want more for their money. Here are seven ways to create the illusion of extra square feet.

• Bedroom: Remove one piece of furniture - an ottoman or a second nightstand. Too-tight spaces are a major buyer turnoff.

• Windows: Take down worn drapes. Don't worry about replacing them - bare windows always make your home look bigger.
  

• Closet: Empty closets by two thirds to create a plenty-of-storage feel. Box and store out-of-season clothes and shoes.

• Den: You can double other people's perception of your home's play space - just pack up and put away half of your kids' toys.

• Kitchen: Clear small appliances off your counters. Experts say reducing the number of items visually triples the work space.

• Cabinets: Stop buying in bulk at the warehouse club.

• Reducing inventory lets you arrange supplies so that the shelves seem roomier.

• Dining room: Create a feeling of uninterrupted flow by taking out dining-room table leaves and removing all but four chairs.

Would you like more tips on making your home irresistible to buyers? Give us a call at 972-772-7000 or email us at rockwall@kw.com.