Condos & Curb Appeal

It's common knowledge that when selling a single-family home curb appeal is essential. You want buyers to be impressed by simply driving or walking by. The same is true for your condo. However, in a building full of similar or identical units that all have the same exterior style, how do you make yours stand out? There are a few ways you can make your condo entry more individual and appealing to prospective buyers.

• Start by planning for any pets to be boarded during open houses and cleaning up all pet supplies, food and litter boxes. If you do this a day ahead, that will give you time to get any remaining pet hair and smell out of your unit before showing.
• Make sure your unit is pest free. Get it treated regularly and do a special treatment before showing the home. Make sure to clean up dead bugs and throw out traps before your open house; you wouldn't want to lose a prospective buyer over a dead pest or an old trap.
• Make sure your door is clean and clutter free and put a welcoming mat in front of the entrance to create an entryway that draws buyers.
• Look for an easy to care for, but fresh, potted plant to put inside the door to bring a living touch of the outdoors inside. Ensure the plant is healthy, in an attractive pot, isn't surrounded by dead leaves and doesn't block your walkway. For smaller entryways, a hanging plant might be the best solution.
• Ensure your windows are spotless and bright for your open house. If it is your responsibility to do the outside of the glass, make sure to include that as well. In some condo complexes, that falls to the HOA, so put a request in that they do a cleaning right before your open house for the warmest and well-lit experience.
• Make sure the hallway and steps to your entryway are clean. That may mean you have to sweep or vacuum them yourself, but its worth it. Your building reflects on your unit, so you want to make it look as good as possible.
• Just like with a single-family home, make sure your home in clean, clutter-free, and store personal effects out of sight.
• When your home is going to show, ensure that its well-lit and play soft music to create a warm and welcoming vibe.
• If you have an internal mail slot, ensure that no mail is piled up below it. Not sure when your home might show? No problem. Just keep a basket under your mail slot so you can quickly pick it up and set it out of sight when prospective buyers arrive.

Once you’ve done all these things, talk to your real estate agent about what additional features to play up in your unit for the best selling price.