April is without a doubt “right around the corner.” Intervals of warm weather and heavy rain let us know that spring has arrived. With this in mind, there are many ways to spruce up the exterior of the home for curb appeal, whether or not you’re selling your home. Here are five great ways to get your house ready for spring:

Clean up the yard – you may have winter toys, decorations, lights, or snowplowing machines that can now find a home for the warmer months.

Weed and plant – Weeding can be done now that the ground has thawed. Remember to weed any flowerbeds and walkways as well as clearing out any window baskets. Stopping by a local garden center or nursery will help you determine what is in season for early planting and preparation.

Trim bushes, hedges and trees – Freshening up the edges of bushes and hedges will help the growth of the plant and make it easier to trim in a few more weeks. Broken branches from trees can be dangerous; getting them out of the way earlier in the season will make life easier when you’re trying to enjoy the outdoors.

Clean out the garage – You’ll probably have some idea of what you will be using for the spring and summer. Clean out the garage, get rid of anything that has accumulated in the garage over the winter – it happens to the best of us.

Prepare outdoor appliances – Make sure weed-whackers, lawn mowers, power washers, grills, pool machinery, or any outdoor equipment is clean, rust free, and ready to use.

We hold a seasonal photo contest where our agents and staff grab their cameras and unleash their creativity! The winning photos are displayed on the home page slide show. Typically, we have three winning photos and two honorable mentions. Here are the winning photographs that will be uploaded to the slide show shortly:

CC Wall – Providence Office

Dawne Nordstrom – Barrington Office

Holly B. Applegate – Sales Manager, Cumberland

Julia L. McCann – Corporate Office

Chris Whirlow – Corporate Office

With the first signs of blooming forsythia, crocuses and daffodils, we will celebrate the end of a very long winter. Homeowners and brokers will be relieved that driveways and walkways will not need to be shoveled and plowed for showings and open houses. We will all be celebrating the spring season in hopes that buyers will embrace the opportunities out there for them to find the homes of their dreams.

Open Houses are a wonderful way to allow buyers the opportunity to freely explore properties on their own. In many cases, this is their first step before they find a broker to help them. Buyers are not only evaluating the homes, but they are searching for a broker that they feel a connection with. It’s the broker’s opportunity to present their listed home and to meet prospective buyers for the first time.

First impressions are everything with respect to the location, condition, features of the home as well as with broker’s presentation of the home and his or her ability to communicate with the buyers.

Think of an Open House as an invitation to a lovely event. Brokers and seller should create ambiance by playing soft music in the background, and by displaying fresh flowers, and a slide show of pictures of the property on a laptop. Brokers should provide color property fliers for buyers, and have some cookies or other refreshments.

The broker and seller’s first goal is for everyone who walks through that open door to remember how pleasant it was in that home. Creativity and elements of the unexpected will ensure that a listing will have a lasting impression on buyers.

Open Houses can be presented around a theme or holiday such as St. Patrick’s Day.

Click here to view upcoming open houses. Residential Properties open houses are typically held on weekends and are updated on the prior Thursday.