Don’t Forget Driveways & Footpaths

Driveway or footpaths may be the last thing you think about when you’re readying a house for sale, but the driveway and footpaths cover quite a bit of real estate in the front yard. And they can be one of the FIRST things your buyer sees. When they’ve been well cared for, driveways and footpaths add a lot to the overall curb appeal of your house.

While you’re sprucing up the yard, don’t forget to edge the grass on either side of the driveway and concrete. If you have a narrow strip of lawn between the path and the street, we recommend you edge it even at the curb.

Take a long, hard look at your driveway: Is it dirty, cracked, pitted, or stained? If it’s gravel or asphalt, are there potholes big enough to swallow up a small animal? Address your driveway issues with these guidelines:

If over half of a cement driveway is pitted, cracked, or in need of repair, we recommend replacing it.

If it’s dirty, rusty, or stained with motor oil, a good cleaning may be all the driveway needs. Break out the Karcher a good quality one if you can and you will be surprised at the result. If it needs it, pay for it to be resealed or repainted. (the same goes for the roof)

If you a have fresh oil stain on the driveway, sprinkle it with kitty litter. The clay in the litter wicks up the excess liquid in the oil so it’s easier to clean up. Follow with a grease-cutting liquid detergent directly on the stain, scrub with a brush, and hose down the area with water. If the stain is old, it’s harder to remove, so the let detergent sit on it for a while before you scrub.

A load of new gravel smoothed over a gravel driveway as a top coat can really freshen up your curb appeal. Consider putting on a new topcoat of sealer on asphalt driveways, especially if the asphalt is faded or stained.

After the cleaning and repairs are done, you want your driveway to look as long and as uncluttered as the driveway to a high-end estate, so keep it clear: Park the cars in the garage, and put away the bikes, toys, soccer nets, and skateboard ramps after the kids are finished playing every day. Store the trash cans out of sight.

We realize that the kids need to play, but putting the bikes and toys away in the back yard isn’t an option. You want the back yard to look as spacious as possible. Sell, store, or give away the unused toys and bikes, and find a tidy spot for the bare minimum.

You and your family might rely on getting out of the car in the garage and going through the internal access door, but buyers are going to start their tours at the front door of your house, so make sure their path to the door is in primo condition — attractive, safe, and easy to access. Take a look at the shrubbery. How easy is it to get to your front door? If the landscape is taking over or is brushing into you when you maneouver your way to the front door, get out the clippers and trim back some of the bushes so buyers find an easy path to the front door.