How to Prepare the Exterior of Your Home Before Exterior Photos
- Adam Garrett
- Oct 21, 2022
- 5 min read
Updated: May 18
Before listing your home, and even before a listing appointment for your home, if time is on your side, it's a good idea to take steps to prepare your home for it. If in doubt about something even the slightest, ask your agent or wait for your agent's guidance, and if they don't say something about it, ask.
This post is a continuation of my posts on Basic Elements of Preparing Your Home for Sale & is related to my post on How to Prepare the Interior of Your Home Prior to Listing.
Image courtesy Raider Photography at a former listing of mine
Clean & Declutter
Cleaning & decluttering are perhaps the most cost-effective ways in many cases for sellers to get a home ready for sale in such a way where the time/$ involved will have a net positive return with ease. Even those within the real estate industry are sometimes shocked at the power that a good cleaning can do to help sell a home. In the absence of a good cleaning, it's very easy to lose thousands of dollars in value based on a job that would often be less than $1,000.
In the absence of decluttering, it can mean the difference of being heckled and praised on social media when your agent attempts to market your property in places where comments are allowed, where some agents will intentionally not even market it in places like that for fear of backfire.
Paint
Paint is also one of the most cost-effective ways to prepare the interior & exterior of your home for sale if you have peeling paint, a bad paint job, or need to make some adjustments to scuffs and marks, but I've seen plenty of situations where a DIY paint job has gone very badly. I've seen where even the contractors mess up a paint job, so be sure to check their work. Painters tape, drop cloths, the right paint colors, the right type of paint, different coats of paint, preparing surfaces prior to paint, testing paint in a small area, matching textured paint, and keeping in mind the changing color of paint based on age are all important to note.
Caulk
Caulk on the interior and exterior, where failing or missing, can be another highly effective way to get your exterior in good shape for purchase.
Power Wash Hard Walking Surfaces
If your driveway, sidewalk, or other exterior hard walking surfaces are dirty, power washing them is an excellent DIY project that many can do with little knowledge. If you don't have a power washer already, see if you can borrow one or rent one. If you want to hire someone to do the job, there are plenty that can do it, and I can give an excellent recommendation on the Peninsula in Hampton Roads which is highly rated. Keep in mind that with cement, asphalt, aggregate, etc. it's typically best to seal after power washing, a commonly neglected step.
Soft Wash More Delicate Surfaces
Soft wash siding, windows, and anything that could be damaged by a pressure washer. There are certain chemicals that can be helpful with this task.
Eliminate Growth on Your Roof
If you have growth on your roof, keep in mind that a wash can remove granules, even though it's fast. It's ideal, if you have time before sale, to put zinc or copper strips along the top, for that zinc or copper to wear down and kill the growth, and for you to only wash until after the growth is already dead where it will come off more easily and do less damage to your roof.
Landscape
Landscaping (i.e. aerating the lawn, doing things to promote green grass, weeding, etc.) can do a lot to help your sale, though don't spend a lot of money on it without consulting your agent to see if what you're considering is cost-effective.
Hedges should ideally be trimmed a full year prior to sale, 6 months of growth prior to sale, and 3 months of growth prior to sale. That way they don't appear bare by trimming immediately prior to sale.
If you plan to sell when the landscaping won't look at its peak, consider having pictures done when the landscaping will be at its peak. In some cases, there will be multiple peak times for different aspects of a home. For instance, a waterfront home full of growth in the rear yard that might obstruct the waterfront view but that is protected due to being considered wetlands, plenty of crepe myrtles in the front yard, and plenty of Spring flowers in the immediate proximity of the home would ideally have pictures in multiple seasons. You could get pictures in the Spring for the Spring flowers, aerials in the Summer for the crepe myrtles, and more pictures in the rear during the Winter when you'd have the least obstructed view of the water from the house.
Blow the Exterior
Blowing is another highly effective means of getting your home ready for sale if you have any walkways or otherwise that could use it, especially immediately prior to power-washing and sealing. In some cases, a rake or broom may be better than a blower. If you don't have a blower, Adam has one you can borrow if you're listing with him.
Take Care of Obvious Exterior Repairs
If you have exterior repairs that you know of, & you're wondering if repairs will be cost-effective, it's not a bad idea to send pictures of them to your listing agent prior to the listing appointment. For instance, I was recently at a listing appointment with my dad, who has sold more homes than likely anyone alive in SE VA, who suggested to a seller that he shouldn't repair his driveway, focusing on a long list of other items. In the case of wood rot, on the other hand, it's typically best to take care of it.
Remove Unwelcoming Signs
If you have any signs that aren't inviting, it's a good idea to remove them, such as "no trespassing" signs & "no soliciting" signs. For instance, I had to once ask a seller to not have this sign showing:
Mind the Season
Your exterior preparations may ideally occur 6 months or more before you are ready to sell depending on the impact of season at your home. Be sure to speak with your agent well in advance so that he can advise you on when to be ready. Also, especially if not working with Adam, be sure to know what to look for yourself since many agents don't care enough to get photos in before things don't look good at your home.
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