If you want to sell your home, the bottom line is to make it look better than other homes on the market and price it competitively.

There are certain steps to get your house in tip-top shape when selling. Home staging is the answer and it starts with curb appeal. Now that spring has arrived, what better place to begin staging your home than the outdoors. Your front yard is your first impression to every potential buyer. An attractive and well-maintained home’s exterior and landscaped yard can ‘WOW’ buyers and add as much as 10 percent to its value.

Buyers are not interested in purchasing your deferred maintenance; they want a home they can connect with, and see themselves living in and entertaining there.

Thinking about curb appeal, walk the perimeter of the house and move all garbage cans, discarded wood scraps, and extra building materials into the garage or shed. Check that gutters and downspouts are free of debris. Be sure your roof is free of moss and check for any dry rot. Be sure to also check the paint condition of the house, especially the front entryway. A fresh coat of paint to your front door can do wonders and drastically change the look of a house.

Container plants, especially large tropical plants, add considerable interest to patios and doorways where would-be buyers enter and exit the house. Create a landscape that can be enjoyed during the day and night with outdoor lighting solutions. Include shrubs and perennials that will provide color and interest throughout the year. Take a look at all the plants and prune bushes and trees back from blocking windows. Keep the lawn freshly cut and fertilized to increase curb appeal.

Remove all dead plants or shrubs. Nothing spruces up a place like a new application of mulch, so apply a fresh layer in all the garden beds to boost curb appeal. The color enhances the contrast of surrounding plants. What’s more, mulch is relatively cheap and easy to apply.

Take care of any irrigation issues and repair faucet leaks. A leaking faucet may suggest that there could be problems elsewhere in the plumbing, and that can be an instant turn-off to buyers.

Clear the clutter on patios and decks by removing small items such as small planters, flower pots, charcoal, barbecue grills, and toys.  Store these away in the garage or shed. Consider buying or renting a power washer to clean paved surfaces.  With very little time or effort, you can make dirty surfaces look new. Power washers also do a great job of cleaning fences, brick, and vinyl siding.

Buyers don’t know what they can’t see. And by creating outdoor spaces that are clean, attractive and inviting, it entices buyers to want to see more. You may not be able to accomplish every task listed, but remember that home staging always starts with curb appeal.

This guest post was provided by Kathy West, owner of Details Innovative Home Staging Solutions, LLC in Kansas City. Resources for this article include Trulia.com, National Association of Realtors and StagedHomes.com. As an Accredited Home Staging Professional, Kathy draws on her expertise and professionalism from 10+ years of project management, as well as her eye for detail and love for design. She can transform properties to improve their listing potential and help owners and realtors highlight a property’s best attributes. Contact her at 913-488-6471for more tips and tricks to get your home staging started.