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        <title>Denver Real Estate Blog</title>
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        <description>Denver real estate topics including local metro Denver community news and events.</description>
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            <guid>http://www.denversrealestate.com/blog/curb-appeal-throughout-the-year.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.denversrealestate.com/blog/curb-appeal-throughout-the-year.html</link>
            <author>bruce@bruceswedal.com (Bruce Swedal)</author>
            <title>Curb Appeal Throughout the Year</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Despite current market conditions, sellers must do as much as they can to present their homes as best as possible to prospective buyers. Doing so will increase their chances of getting more traffic thru the doors and selling the home. A house that does not look inviting on the outside will only scare and discourage buyers, who will turn around and will not want to continue the tour.

A tour of a home starts on the outside, in the neighborhood, even before reaching the street the home is on. Prospective buyers look at all that surrounds the home, in order to visualize themselves living there. Many buyers confess driving at all different hours of the day and night, to make sure that &quot;all is well&quot; with a house that they are interested in.

One issue sellers face is curb appeal. How the home looks from the outside is important to buyers. Why? They want to see the house as their home, and a property that does not seem welcoming is hard to visualize as a &quot;home sweet home.&quot; There are many buyers with vision, and they can get past appearances and focus on potential - but those buyers are far fewer; most buyers are visually stimulated and want to like what they see.

Sellers must present their property in an attractive way the entire time that it is in the market - hopefully, it will sell right away, but if not, then the work will continue on. During the spring, a home should look light and happy. The premises should be uncluttered, grass cut, pots should have flowers, and garden paraphernalia should be kept to a minimum, just as accents, and not excessive. All sidewalks should be cleared of stuff or toys, and be inviting. Bright flowers such as yellow flowers speak of spring and make a happy impression. Pools should be clean, neat, and anything that seems peeling or broken should be painted or replaced. Trim trees and bushes. Display the house number with pride, visible, clean, and painted - if necessary change this detail. The front door should be spotless and inviting.

During the summer, follow the same guidelines for spring. If the sale of the home extends to the fall, start cleaning and replacing pots with appropriate seasonal flowers, sweep the front and back, cover the pool, and rake any leaves. Neatness and cleanliness is the main goal.

During the winter, removal of snow, and having clean walkways and paths is very important, as well as removing any unsightly pots. Foliage that is dead should be removed as well. Overall, a clean and safe appearance should be enforced during winter.

These are just a few seasonal tips that can improve the chances of selling a house.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Sat, 15 Jan 2011 17:02:35 -0700</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.denversrealestate.com/blog/seven-easy-tips-to-better-curb-appeal-for-your-denver-home.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.denversrealestate.com/blog/seven-easy-tips-to-better-curb-appeal-for-your-denver-home.html</link>
            <author>bruce@bruceswedal.com (Bruce Swedal)</author>
            <title>Seven Easy Tips to Better Curb Appeal For Your Denver Home</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Do you need to sell your Denver home quickly or just sell your Denver home?&nbsp; Maybe you just want to get on with your life and into your next home.&nbsp; Generating a quick sale is easier when you know a few of the tricks to give potential Denver home buyers a better impression of your home by improving its curb appeal.&nbsp; Even if youre not selling it never hurts to spruce up the outside of your home with a bit of handy work and maintenance.

Where to start?&nbsp; Most want to start with the clean-up but Denver home-owners should start with the work that is going to either take the longest or make the most mess.&nbsp; You want to take care of these issues first so you can avoid having a mess while Denver home buyers are previewing your property.

Sidewalks and DrivewaysThoroughly inspect your sidewalks and driveway for any damages which need repair.&nbsp; If there is any damages home-owners in Denver should seriously consider taking on the expense of having them repaired.&nbsp; This could end up being one of the most expensive tasks in your list, but it is also sure to instantly increase your homes curb appeal.&nbsp; This is an item that every potential home buyer seeing your property will ask themselves &ldquo;How much will this cost us?&rdquo; and lower any offer by at least that amount.&nbsp; Sellers who make these repairs themselves will be able to avoid buyers asking this question and lowering their bid.&nbsp; They will also not exclude potential buyers who either dont want to bother with the repair or dont have the capital to make the repairs themselves.

FencingMost homes in the Denver metro area will include some kind of fence.&nbsp; If that is the case, taking care of any needed fence repairs or maintenance is equally as important as sidewalk and driveway repair.&nbsp; One nice thing about repairs to the fence is they should cost substantially less than the driveway.&nbsp; After metro Denver home buyers pay a large sum of money for the home purchase, the last thing they want to do is shell out additional money for fence repairs.&nbsp; In most cases you will not have to go as far as replacing the entire fence but can simply repair any damages.

Landscaping: Shrubs and LawnsThe idea behind landscaping is to enhance the curb appeal not hide the assets of the property.&nbsp; The landscaping should add color through flowers and bushes to brighten and accent the areas around your home.&nbsp; Make sure to select your plants, shrubs and trees carefully so they complement the areas and do not look out of place.&nbsp; Make sure that the landscaping does not hide any doorways, block views from windows or make walking pathways tricky.

Maintaining your landscape is just as important as planting it, so make sure to trim the shrubs and mow the grass.&nbsp; Take care of any bare spots with sod or seed and edge the lawn for a more crisp appearance.&nbsp; Any trash or debris should be removed from the yard and disposed of.

Shrubbery should be trimmed to a clean look and manageable size and any dead tree branches should be removed and discarded.&nbsp; Plants which show signs of disease should be treated by professionals or removed and replaced.

The GarageThe first thing to do when cleaning a garage is to identify anything you will not be moving with you and get rid of it.&nbsp; Thoroughly sweep out the garage and check the corners for any cobwebs which need removing.&nbsp; You might also consider going with the trend and covering the floor with a garage coating.&nbsp; If you have any issues with bugs take the time to use an insecticide in the garage area.&nbsp; Lastly you should inspect the garage door for any needed repairs and wash or paint it as needed.

Exterior Windows and DoorsThat front door is the potential entryway to your Denver home buyers nirvana and should be treated accordingly.&nbsp; Scrub it down, paint it up and if need be send it to the scrap heap and replace it.&nbsp; Ensure that you have a properly functioning doorbell, replace any hardware that is looking worn.&nbsp; You dont want home buyers cringing when they open your door as it makes a sound like nails on a chalkboard so oil those hinges.&nbsp; Repair any broken or cracked glass or torn screens.&nbsp; Do this throughout the home.

Dont forget about the windows!&nbsp; Completely clean the windows, including the screens, frame and tracks.&nbsp; Look for any broken or cracked glass or torn screens and make the needed repairs.&nbsp; If the paint is looking dull or dirty, take care of that by giving it a new coat.&nbsp; Dont forget about the window coverings.&nbsp; Look at them from the inside and outside.&nbsp; If they look dirty, clean them.&nbsp; If washing them does not do it then replace them.

CleaningThere is a method to cleaning.&nbsp; Cleaning your Denver home should include taking the time to remove any debris, put away any tools and dont leave toys laying around.&nbsp; If you have a dog house, outbuildings or any other exterior features or structures give them a thorough examination.&nbsp; Clean everything you can, paint everything that needs it and inspect that mailbox while youre at it.

Sprucing UpNow that you put in the time you think all the difficult chores are over.&nbsp; Not so fast!&nbsp; Now is the time for a bit of sprucing up or you might call it accessorizing.&nbsp; Is there anything missing to get that nice finished look?&nbsp; How about some flowers or a window box to give potential buyers something for their senses as they walk up the path?

A small investment in improving curb appeal can mean thousands back when selling and most importantly it can be what tips the scale in a potential Denver home buyers mind to choose your home.&nbsp; A home that looks well maintained gives the impression to home buyers that it was well cared for.&nbsp; No Denver home buyer dreams of paying a large sum of money to purchase a home only to have to make numerous repairs to right away.&nbsp; So when you want to sell your home quickly, take the steps needed to make it stand out from the curb.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:18:04 -0600</pubDate>
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