Halloween Is Close! Will Trick or Treaters Avoid Your Home Like the Plague?
It’s a fun and frightening time of year for little ghosts and goblins throughout Vancouver, but it’s even more frightening for their parents. We’re all a pillowcase filled with candy away from a real-life nightmare that will leave us all scarred for life.
Yes, I’m talking about a sugar rush.
But before we have to worry about the repercussions from our children scarfing down a year’s worth of candy in one night, someone in your house is probably going to stick around home on the 31st to hand out treats and hopefully avoid tricks. Halloween is one of the coolest and most unique traditions of the year, but if you’re thinking about selling your home, it’s also a sneaky way to test your home’s value.
And Halloween is all about being sneaky.
Just How Much Curb Appeal Does Your Home Have?
I have terrifying memories of trick or treating at houses that belonged in horror movies. And no, that’s not a good thing. I love a good scare as much as anyone, and children dressed up in superhero costumes aren’t scared by much, but if a child legitimately avoids your home like the plague? Then you’ve either gone overboard on the decorations, or your house’s curb appeal leaves something to be desired.
People are going to be walking by your house for a few hours on the 31st, so it’s a great chance to put your home to the test.
If you live here in the lower mainland, chances are you’ve got some external weather-changing issues to deal with, such as:
- falling leaves
- unkept grass
- dying plants and flower beds
- wear and tear on fences, mailboxes, or driveways
Youngsters can spot issues from the sidewalk without fail. A well-decorated exterior is fun and exciting for the kids, but unkempt yards or disrepair is no fun at all. A tidy yard and house exterior signals to the parents that this is a home that’s well-maintained and cared for.
And hey, if you happen to have a for sale sign planted out front? Halloween is an easy night to get some extra views.
First Impressions: Front Entrance
In addition to curb appeal, trick or treaters will get a a close up of your home’s front entrance, but while you’re handing out candy (please, no toothbrushes or apples this year), the parents of those pirates and monsters will no doubt spend most of that time judging your home’s front entrance. Is it well lit? Is it neat and tidy? What about structural elements – how spacious is it? The front entrance says a lot about the size of family that could live in that home.
Even the smell of the entrance has an impact. If your home is clean and fresh, visitors to the front door will know.
The trick or treaters won’t care as long as you’re handing out the good stuff, but their parents will know, and that’s what matters most.
Look, chances are slim that you’ll be selling your house to one of your trick or treating visitors this Halloween, but its a great test run if you’re thinking of selling. First impressions count for a lot, and if the goal isn’t to scare people off, then the 31st represents an opportunity to whip your home into presentable tip top shape.
Happy Halloween everybody! Stay safe out there!
