First impressions are lasting impressions

Don't kill a potential sale at the front door

Making a great first impression also creates a good lasting impression that is more likely to result in an offer.

Taking the time and effort it requires to make that great first impression is critical in selling your home faster and closer to your asking price.

You know the basic curb appeal storyline: If potential buyers don’t like what they see from the street, they might never get inside the front door. You might have done the same at some point yourself when shopping for a home.

Fortunately, unless you’re living in an Addams Family-like spookhouse, there are plenty of quick and easy ways to spiff up your home and give potential buyers a reason to come inside.

Yards should look appealing and inviting, a place where you’d like to relax on a pleasant spring afternoon. An easy way to do that is to keep the grass freshly groomed – don’t forget the edging – and plant beds freshly mulched, says John Merrill, American Lawns.

Next is the front door. The front door should not only be attractive, but it should be inviting. The front exterior door needs to provide security for the homeowners, but not make it feel as if it's the front door of a prison.

Hardware on the door needs to look new, and most important, it needs to work, first time, every time.

Consider removing the storm door. They usually do not provide any attraction and more likely are unattractive.