Sluggish. Slow. Decreasing. Those are words that are being applied to the recent housing sales markets. If you’re planning to sell, the news is nowhere near as bad as the doomsayers are making it sound. The problem is that there are so many people trying to sell their homes right now. The number of choices on the market encourages buyers to be choosy and to hold out for the perfect home at the best price. Any Realtor will tell you, though, that homes are selling – and when they sell, it’s because the prospective buyer fell in love at first sight.



The homes that sell are those that “wow" buyers from the curb and woo them all the way through to the back yard. So how do you turn your hearth into a new buyer’s heart throb? The same way that you’d attract a new beau – freshen up, put on a little makeup and sport the most attractive outfit you can find.

Five Steps to Wow Them at the Curb.

Curb appeal is the real estate equivalent of sex appeal. That first view of your house may not break a sale – but it can definitely make it.

1. Get rid of clutter in the yard. Don’t kid yourself that the bikes and Big Wheels tell buyers a home is well-loved and family-friendly. Stow the stuff – the kids’ toys, the gas grill, the rake leaning against the porch - and not in the garage. You’ll want that to look nice and clean, too.

2. Make any cosmetic repairs that the house needs. Clogged gutters? Hanging drainpipe? Shutter off kilter? Spend a weekend doing all those little things you’ve been saying you’ll do for the last three years.

3. Freshen up your house’s face. If you can, give it a new coat of paint. If your house is sided, this is the time to rent a power washer and give it a good hose down. Don’t forget to wash the windows and hang pretty window treatments inside, too. While you’re at it, make sure that mini-blinds are all at the same level in the windows facing the street. You’d be surprised what a difference, symmetry makes.

4. Mow the lawn, trim the shrubs, get the tree guy out to lop off those overhanging branches. Fix cracks in the driveway, dig up the moss in between the paving stones. The keyword is manicure – everything should look very, very well taken care of.

5. Wrap it up with a bow. You can’t exactly put a ribbon in your house’s hair, but you can do the next best thing. Flowers offer instant appeal. Hit your local garden shop for a few flats of colorful, in bloom annuals and put in a flower beds along the walkway, or encircle a palm with a bed of impatiens.

Five Steps to Woo Them All the Way.

Give the inside of your house the same attention that you did the outside. Here’s how to turn attraction into love.

1. Get rid of clutter. Take down family photos, remove those report cards from the front of the fridge, tuck away the cherished collection of knick knacks. When you’re done, you should have clean counters, clean tables and clean shelves.

2. Clean. Clean. Clean. The key word is spotless. Scrub down walls, wash windows, get rid of the gray fingerprints around doorknobs and light switches. Clean your grout especially in the bathrooms. Shampoo carpets. Added bonus – you’ll have to do far less deodorizing.

3. Pare down furniture to the essentials. Sofa, chair and tables in the living room. Bed, dresser and lamps in the bedroom. Engaging the services of a professional home stager is a very worthwhile investment.

4. If your budget allows for it, go for one or more of these high-ROI home improvements.

-Repaint your kitchen and bathroom walls. Choose a warm neutral color.

-Replace worn carpets.

-Update your kitchen.

-Update your bathroom.

5. Try a few psychological tricks. Hang a mirror on the wall opposite your front door. Invest in fresh flower arrangements – but be sure to keep them fresh. Wilted flowers are NOT inviting. Play classical music – softly – when the house is being shown. And a favorite quick-pretty-up trick – toss a clean damp towel and fresh scented dryer sheet in the dryer about half an hour before a showing. Clean laundry smell is even more appealing than chocolate chip cookies or apple pie baking in the oven.