When preparing to sell your house, it’s important to showcase and represent your home to its full potential. You may be engaged with many things, but taking the time to keep each aspect of your home’s exterior in good condition can increase your chances of a quick sale. Turning off buyers is something you want to avoid at all costs.

With too many things to care about in a hectic schedule, there are a few important things that should never be left out. Doing that can be detrimental to your chances of getting your house sold. Keep your home in great form, by maintaining its exterior appearance. The exterior of your home leaves a lasting impression on prospective buyers. It gives a taste of what visitors will be offered inside the house. Let’s check out five things that you must take care of, to avoid turning off prospective buyers.

Maintain your yard. Do three things regularly to maintain the appearance of your yard: Keep your landscaping tidy, regularly clean walkways, and get rid of weeds and unwanted grass. A buyer will find a well-kept yard with an inviting front porch and gorgeous flowerbeds attractive and desirable. Avoid turning buyers off with an untidy lawn, dead tree branches or piles of dead plant matter.

Keep the gutters clean. You may forget this important task of house maintenance, but ignoring it or procrastinating over it can cause substantial problems later. One of the biggest problems is clogging of gutters, which causes drainage issues. This can cause serious damage to the landscaping and foundation of your house. Avoid turning off prospective buyers by not cleaning your gutters periodically.

Keep the critters out. The presence of pests in your house is a certain turnoff for any buyer. If uninvited guests make your home their residence, you will turn away interested buyers, no matter how beautiful and luxurious your house is. Check crawlspaces, basements and attics regularly. Cover and plug any hole or space that can let pests enter your house. Make sure no pests ruin your chances of getting your house sold.

Maintain cleanliness of windows. Clean and shining windows are attractive to buyers throughout the year. Neat and clean windows enhance the curb appeal of your house. Maintain their sharp look through regular cleaning and maintenance.

Never let your home look out of season. An out of season home is a turnoff to viewers and buyers. A plastic reindeer on the roof in March makes your house look poorly maintained. It comes across as if the homeowners do not care about the house at all. Pay heed to what is lying on the porch and deck, and take special care of your yard. Make sure that everything from décor to furniture does not go out of season. Stay on top of your seasonal tasks, and let the potential buyers know how well you care for your house.