Have you looked at your walkway?

The walkway to your home is a preview to your homes maintenance. Is it level and swept clean of debris or cluttered and hard to find? Trim back the grass and remove the weeds. Fill in the cracks and reset or fit any unlevel stones.

Is your fence a plus or a minus?

Fences are great to separate properties, the front and rear yards, for safety and to separate various parts of your property for many different reasons. Make sure your fence is in good repair so the buyer sees it as a plus not a minus. Also inform your agent who owns it or the property line shrubs, fence like border. If a tape survey is available or property stake is visible provide that information so your agent can convey this to buyers or inform them to have their lender survey verify the property line.

Your driveway condition counts

Once again you need to make a good first impression. This is an often overlooked item. After all you wouldn't want to bottom out pulling into your driveway, get stuck in a rut or step into a puddle, trip or sprain their angle on a crack or rut that can easily be patched or smoothed over. A quick top coat or making sure the driveway is shoveled in winter whether is critical to a good first impression. It also cuts down on wet shoes or turning off a buyer before they even walk in the front door. When ever possible remove all vehicles from the garage and yard so the buyer has a place to park. Nothing worse than a buyer getting a ticket or having their car towed or a screaming neighbor to kill a showing or and potential offer or sale.

Help the buyer find your house when its for sale

(1) Let your agent put up a for sale sign unless your association doesn't allow it. This will put the buyers on your home as quickly as possible when they are driving down the street and off the homes of other homes that may or may not be for sale.
(2) Make sure they can find it with large numbers of 3 inches or more so they don't pull into the wrong driveway.
(3) Make sure your house can be found with good direction in MLS and advertising.
(4) Trim any over grown bushes from the view of buyers form the drive, walkways, steps, and near the curb. Not only do they need to fins it, they need to get a good first impression.

First impressions- yes the mail boxs counts

Remember as buyers are pulling up to find your house they are looking at every deal. Make sure your mailbox is well cared for or replace or update date it. Even the little things matter

Keeping a watch on the real estate market

Whether your getting ready to sell or buy or just keeping current on your property or home value its good to keep an eye on what's for sale in your area for values or current trends in property renovations. So log in to my web page to get daily notifications in your area. When you log in you can let me know if your just watching the market or looking to sell or buy in the future. This will help me to let me know how frequently you do our don't want to be notified. You can log in now at maureenhbrennan.com If you are working with someone else already, unless your changing agents, please log in to the agents site you plan to work with. Thank you.

Rain days and the days after are great for home shopping.

Many people don't like to look on a rainy day or have there home shown on a rainy day. But rainy days let you see and smell things that may effect your home purchasing decision. Some floors show more dirt on a rainy day and are harder to maintain. Basement, attics, windows, doors may leak or smell musty or better yet not have any problems. See it on a rainy day. Sellers that take there homes off on inclement days may be either not motivated or hiding something. You may get a better property inside view or see grading issues on the exterior that you may not otherwise say on a sunny day.