How Your Neighbors Can Make or Break Your Sale

Most of us know that all real estate is local...national trends rarely completely reflect the activity going on in your town, your neighborhood, your street.

When you put a home on the market, impressions are local, too, and have a huge impact on buyers. Agents and buyers alike have pre-conceived notions (right or wrong) about neighborhoods, school districts, area trends, even streets.

For the most part, you can do little to change the embedded attitudes and assumptions about your greater surroundings...but you can have an impact on a level closer to home. When your home goes on the market, consider these tips to help maximize the potential you have to offer:

Your street: You're probably doing or have done a lot to prepare your home, inside and out...but what about your street? Whether you're in a subdivision of hundreds of like-homes, or own a rural property, buyer impressions start way before they get to your home. Assumptions have already been made about your town and area, and by the time buyers get to your street, they start making new assumptions.

If you live on a street where there is a lot of garbage, now's that time to clean it up. It's great if you have relationships with your neighbors and can ask for help, but if not, now's not the time to let your ego get in the way. It doesn't matter how great YOUR place looks, if your street looks like an abandoned inner-city lot. Once you start picking up, you may be surprised that your neighbors pitch in, too.

Stop sign on your street full of bullet holes? Does the sign to your subdivision need to be repaired or painted? Are there weeds along the curb or sidewalk on your street? It's a lot of extra work to take care of things that are not directly related to your home, but in a market where there is a lot of inventory, and not likely to change in most places for quite awhile, you need to create an advantage for yourself over other local competition.

Your neighbors: Buyers will make assumptions about YOUR home, your maintenance, your value, based on what they see from the homes surrounding you. If your neighbors don't mow or weed as often as they could (or at all), if their homes could use a paint job, or they're having trouble with general exterior upkeep, ask if lending a hand would be appreciated. For some owners, it's a financial issue, for others it's about lack of time, for others its competing priorities, and some just don't care. Not everyone has a congenial relationship with their neighbors, but if you do and can lend a hand, you'll benefit, and so will they.

Many communities have volunteers services to help with yard projects for senior citizens, scout troops or other civic groups may be able to help with abandoned lots, and if you have a vacant property near you that is neglected, contact the owner, the listing agent if it's for sale or your town to see if there are ordinances on the books that pertain to property upkeep. Your selling opportunities are directly affected by your surroundings.

There are a lot of things you have no control over when it comes to first impressions about your area to potential buyers...but a lot of things you can control. Keep in mind that buyers imagine events and dreams and ideas about what their lives will be like living in a particular house, street, neighborhood. You can help shape that mental picture by putting your best foot forward-beyond your property lines.