If you are thinking of selling your home and have focused for a while on the interior, it is a great time of year to get the exterior looking great and giving your home the best curb appeal possible. After all, you really do only have one time to make a good first impression.

Prospective buyers will probably park across the street - usually that's where an agent stops instead of pulling into a driveway. Why not sit in your own car and take a critical view of what your home looks like? Could the lawn be trimmed a little more. . . Maybe a little fertilizer would help or sewing a little more grass seed in spots? You can still purchase plenty of annuals, and mums are just coming into season and look extremely attractive in sprucing up the landscaping quickly and at a reasonable cost. If you are thinking of putting your home on the market next year, purchasing perennials in the next month or so will save you money as they are usually on sale now and will bloom next. Yes, planning ahead and buying now is good.

Your fences and gates should be in good repair and, if they are not, repaint them! The same goes for the garage door and trim. The roof should be in good condition, your guttering intact and cleaned out. Don't forget your driveway. Edging the driveway from overgrown grass and weeds is important, but having the cracks filled in the asphalt and adding a new layer of asphalt is probably one of the biggest curb appeal fixes you can do.

Yard ornaments, such as decorative animals, gnomes and artificial flowers (or even pink flamingoes) are your personal taste and removing them will not only make your yard seem less cluttered but will allow a potential buyer to focus on the size and spaciousness of the lot. Toys and bicycles left in the front yard should be directed to the back and into a specific play area.

Many homes have walkways and if yours is one of them, make sure that grass is not growing between the stones or bricks. Making the walkway easily accessible is important. Overgrown bushes or landscaping hanging over the walkway should be trimmed back so that potential buyers have a clear path to the front door.

The windows should all be cleaned. Take a close look at your wood trim around the windows and the ease of operation of the windows as it will be something that a potential buyer, and later an inspector, will address. If you do that walk-through and any necessary repair of the windows now, you'll avoid a problem later. Windows need to open in each room, locks need to work and energy efficiency is a huge factor in offering price to most buyers.

The front door is, of course, your main point of entry and you should think of your front door as an anxious buyer might see it. They'll look around the area while the agent is getting the key (or if you are selling by owner, they'll be waiting there while you come to the door). Make them want to see the inside. Repaint the door if necessary, make sure the screen is not torn if there is one. The porch light at the door needs to be in working order and NO spider webs around the light, door or porch area.

Taking the time to make the visit to your home a good experience for buyers will pay off. If you aren't sure how something looks, ask your agent or a friend and have them lend a critical eye to help you. Good luck!