by Rob Purifoy

Created on: January 06, 2009

This is a great time to take a neighborhood stroll. Head out of your front door, stop at the curb and turn around. Take a mental note of your front door itself, your landscaping, your windows and the front of the home in general. Start walking down your own street and look at the houses on both sides taking note of the same things you just saw in your house. This will give you a mental picture of what you liked and didn't like as you walked with an objective point of view.

Having done that exercise you may have come up with some ideas of your own, but if not, allow me to explain. The front door is the focal point as guests or potential buyers, as the case may be, approach the house. A nice wood and glass door that is stained with a rich color is very appealing, conversely, one that has been sun damaged and chipping is a foreshadowing of deferred maintenance also potentially within the house. First impressions are everything and the front door reveals what is likely to follow inside.

Landscaping is second on the list of first impressions. If a home has 6 foot tall bushes in front of every window, it not only hides the house but makes a person feel as if the house is hiding something. In worst cases it can produce a feeling that the home is in such a location as to detour thieves from gaining entrance. You want to show of the elevation and scope of the front of the home, not hide it, so cut any close house-clinging bushes. Please note that Ivy may be a different story depending on geographical location and in some cases, with some architectural type homes, it may be left attached. Speaking from a southern home point of view, Ivy growing on the house is termite conducive and largely not feasible.

Another geographical difference is front entry garages vs. rear entry garages. If you have a front entry garage I suggest that you keep the cars where they were meant to be, off the street and in the garage. As far as the driveway goes, either coat the driveway with a nice pebble stone epoxy, pavestone, or at least keep the oil stains off the concrete. Many homes in southern areas of the U.S. have rear entry garages and this becomes less of an issue, but this is not the case in all areas.

Exterior paint and wood chimneys, yet another geographical difference as some don't have fireplaces. Many areas that have fireplaces have wood trimmed chimneys which should be painted fairly often to avoid wood rot or weather damage. Exterior paint itself should be free of chipping and bare wood exposure. Further, a modern color, mostly neutral paint scheme should be applied to the home including caulking and painting of any imperfections.

It's a good idea to assume that you are keeping your home as if you could sell it any day of the week if you so wished, this is the attitude that keeps a home in good condition.

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