First Impressions

What First Impression does your home give?

In the Chinese “science” of Feng Shui and the Indian “science” of Vaastu the front door of your home is a point of great importance—its orientation, materials and appearance worthy of great attention to details. Unfortunately in much of our society the front door has become so forgotten and unused (who doesn’t just pull into the garage and enter through that door or enter through a side or back door most of the time?) that it is often neglected as far as care and condition goes (see above picture).

When it comes time to sell the house; however, the front door is a major contributor to your home’s first impression upon buyers. They spend time standing there while the Realtor fumbles with the lock box to try to get to the key. A buyer standing on your front porch or stoop is likely to look at the door, the trim surrounding it, any windows that are near by, maybe the roof and certainly the landscaping around the front door. What will they see at your front door?

One of the easiest things to do to improve the first impression that your house makes is to either paint or replace the front door itself. A door with cracked and peeling paint or one that shows signs of rust or rot will immediately start the buyer’s internal “fix-up/repair calculator going. If the buyer sees curled or missing roof shingles they may conclude that the whole roof needs replacing (a project that costs big bucks) and may walk away right there.You should also look at the light fixtures that are near the door. Broken or shabby looking fixtures are an indication of lack of maintenance which buyers will start to look harder for inside, too.

Trees or bushes that have overgrown the walk or porch are also not inviting and show a lack of care. I’ve actually had to tell customers to trim back bushes that had overgrown the walk so badly that you couldn’t use it—they never used it anyway and so had forgotten about it. Look also at the walk and porch or stoop. Are there cracks that might cause someone to trip and fall? Are the steps secure or do they rock when you use them? Are there plants and weeds growing up through the cracks in the walk? If you have a screen door, are there tears or holes in the screening? If there are shutters around the door or nearby windows are they in good repair or do they need painting, too?

So, whether or not you believe in either of the sciences of Feng Shui or Vaastu, at least believe this—your front door area provides the first impression for most buyers. It may well be the place that a potential buyer spends the most time standing still and just looking. Give yourself and your house a better chance of selling by focusing some of your home preparation time on that area. Otherwise, by the time they get to your spiffy new kitchen or wonderful finished basement, they will already have a bad impression of your house. For more on Feng Shui and Vaastu, go to my Web site - http://www.themilfordteam.com