by Daniel J. Gansle

Created on: June 23, 2008

Planning on selling your home? In today's ultra-competitive housing market, curb appeal is essential. Realtors agree: little things like painting, replacing gutters, trimming trees and bushes, eliminating brown patches in the lawn, mowing often, and planting colorful flowers boosts the chances the home will sell. In this market, first impressions really do matter.

One simple measure you can take to improve your home prior to listing it on the market is all too often overlooked. Exterior shutters (particularly vinyl) that have become unattractive due to fading, rotting, or cracking give prospective homebuyers the impression that the exterior of the home hasn't been kept up; therefore the interior probably hasn't been kept up either. And if the home has no shutters at all, it can appear faceless and lacking character. Not exactly a recipe for quick home sale success.

In recent years, custom wood shutters sporting decorative hardware have become very popular due to their ability to make the home appear more upscale, thus adding resale value. By "custom" we mean shutters that deviate from the ordinary horizontal slat look you see on many homes. New home communities often intermix custom shutter types to purposefully avoid the "cookie cutter" style of yesteryear.

But what are the steps involved in selecting new custom wood shutters? Just follow this simple 3-step guide, and you'll be on your way to a faster home sale.

Step 1: Determine Your Shutter Style
How do you want your home to look? Colonial? Tropical? Rustic? Consider the following shutter styles:

* Louvered: a rectangular frame comprising angled (louvered) horizontal slats. Choose louvered shutters for that traditional yet elegant look, for example if you own a colonial home.

* Raised panel: a rectangular frame containing two raised vertical rectangles (panels). Choose this style if you want that traditional appearance as you'd find on a paneled door.

* Board and batten: a simple yet elegant shutter type made from vertical boards held together by a horizontal board on the top and bottom. Choose this type for that historic, country, or rustic feel.

* Bahama: an exterior shutter that covers the entire window and is louvered at the bottom to open out like an awning. A popular shutter for storm protection, the bahama style is popular in hurricane-prone tropical areas including Florida and the Caribbean. Choose this shutter type if you want that tropical, beachy look or if you live along the coastline.

Step 2: Select Wood Type
Basically the wood type boils down to longevity and resistance to weather. Pine is the cheapest and most popular, yet is the least resistant to rot. This is why pine needs an exterior primer and two topcoats of paint. Western red cedar, cypress, and California redwood are all popular due to their higher resistance to pests, weather, and rot.

Step 3: Make the Purchase
You can purchase custom wood shutters from a range of traditional retailers. But if you prefer shopping in your slippers, ordering shutters and hardware online is easy and convenient. Make sure you're purchasing from a reputable dealer with a solid customer service record. Don't be tempted by ultra-cheap shutters; the deal may be tempting, but the shutters could be made out of a cheap scrapwood composite rather than solid wood. If you purchase shutters from online companies who specialize in hand-made shutter products, all the better.

Your new custom wood shutters will bring joy to your home, and maybe even your pocketbook.

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