Pricing a property properly and using a good REALTOR® are important factors in selling your house quickly and maximizing your profits, but ultimately the most important consideration in selling your home is curb appeal.

What's curb appeal? Curb appeal is a synonym for how eye-catching your home is from the street. Making the right exterior decor choices and performing the right type of repairs can give your home curb appeal that causes buyers to stare in awe when they arrive. Even more lucrative, making the right type of "finishing touches" can add plenty to the sales price of your home.

Go out to the road and walk past your home. What catches your attention? The dirty windows? The pinestraw on the roof? The weeds in your planters? These are the items you want to take care of. Make a list of the things that catch your eye and stand out. Tackle the ones that can be remediated without a lot of expense and make the biggest difference in the curb appeal of your home.

• Remove the clutter and debris from your yard. Lawn mowers, children's toys, grills, flashing neon pink flamingo statues... you get the idea. Pickup any fallen branches and rake up leaves and pine needles.
• Work on the landscaping. Purchase some inexpensive plants and flowers from Lowes, Home Depot or your local nursery and apply liberally. Don't forget to put some type of mulch (clean pinestraw, cypress chips, rock, etc.). Mow the lawn and keep it neat throughout the period that your home is on the market. Sweep off the driveway and edge any concrete (driveway, walkways, patios) if necessary.
• Don't ignore the exterior of the house itself. If the wood surfaces such as lap siding or fascia and eaves are looking rough, now would be a good time to make a new friend who will give you a good discount on exterior painting. Replace any rotted wood on the exterior of the house -- 9 times out of 10 you will need to replace it eventually in order for your buyer's lender to extend financing on the house. An inexpensive feature that is often missing from many homes is decorative shutters. If they jive with the exterior style of your house, install them beside all of the front windows and any other windows that are visible from the street.
• Check all "attachments" on the house such as front porches, patios, even things such as corner lights and landscaping lights. Make sure that everything is in good shape and working order.
• If you happen to live on the water, make sure not to overlook your dock and related structures. Replace the styrofoam floatation pieces under a sagging floating dock, seal the planks on the surface with a decorative type sealant, etc. In many areas, interest in homes on the water is generated not only by people driving by on the road, but also by passing boaters on the lake or river. This is very important in coastal markets where recreational boating and fishing are dominant activities. In addition, worn out decking and rails may mislead prospective buyers into thinking that dock supports may be worn out also.