Fixing for looks is every bit as important as fixing the toilet or the roof!

It’s important to understand that rent and buy decisions are often made in a matter of seconds by folks whizzing by the property in automobiles at 30 miles an hour. The first look and the first impression count for everything. If your property doesn’t generate positive vibrations on that first peek, you can forget the brand new carpets you installed inside.

” … that’s where the fix-up battle is won or lost. “

Tenants and buyers alike will judge your house exactly the same way they judge a book, by its cover! Knowing this fact about our customers can be worth thousands of dollars to you if you’ll apply it to your own fix-up strategy. It’s for this reason that I constantly instruct my readers to concentrate their main efforts on fixing what shows. Create good looks before anything else you do because that’s where the fix-up battle is won or lost.

Folks are always fascinated by my “foo-foo” beautification techniques. “Foo-foo” is my term for cosmetic fix-up or gingerbread. The primary goal is to upgrade the looks. Webster’s Dictionary defines cosmetic as correcting defects or to make beautiful. In some cases my techniques might stretch Webster’s definition a bit, but on balance, most folks agree: foo-foo techniques really do make ugly houses more pleasing to look at.

All of my rental houses and apartment units have been painted and cleaned up many times. Maintenance and repair expenses do very little to increase the value of any property. Painting and up-keep are merely costs of doing business. On the other hand, well-maintained plants, trees and lawns, along with my white picket fences and decorative front porches, do add some permanent value to the properties. Adding value should be your primary goal as a fixer.

Picket fencing can return $10 for every one dollar spent. Tenants will always pay more for fencing because fences add privacy. Rear yards are converted to more usable space. Cook-outs, nude tanning, wading pools, clothes lines, storage and a place to keep Fido are some of the backyard uses that tenants are willing to pay extra to have.

Front yard fencing is decorative or foo-foo. This type of fencing is not meant to be useful. White picket fences surrounding the front lawns of older houses give them a homey look. Quite often, when I show houses to prospective customers, the first words out of their mouth when they see the property, “Oh, it’s lovely, I just adore your white picket fence.” Remember, they haven’t even set foot on the property. They’re still in the car looking.

“Foo-foo creates the right look … “

Front yard fences are easy to build. I use regular 4×4 posts, treated with a preservative. Posts are set in concrete on 8-foot centers around the front yard. Leave access openings for sidewalks or entrance ways. Gates aren’t needed. My two construction methods are to build them with 3 rails (1 ‘x4′ horizontal fir boards) or for pickets I install 2×4 rails between the posts, attached with metal joint hangers horizontally. I then add pickets (1×4 fir boards) spaced every 4 inches vertically, nailed to the 2×4 rails. Fences are 36″ high for either type.

Exterior painting is among the highest ranking outdoor improvements because it can quickly and inexpensively change the looks and property image. For older houses with less than perfect exteriors, a light base color, such as off-white or beige, is recom­mended. Use a darker match color for the wood trim, facia boards, window surround and porches. On stucco houses, use the base color and a darker trim color for the woodwork. Painting is a very effective foo-foo technique because it covers up so many imperfections. In terms of payback, a new paint job can tack on 20 percent more value to a medium price house and sometimes double the price of a cheap one.