If you are thinking about putting your lakefront house on the market, you may be looking for ways to help your lake house sell faster and for more money. Staging your home is the act of setting your home up so that it is visually appealing to potential buyers.

To be really effective, you should look at both the interior and the exterior of your lake house. Here are three tips to get you started with the exterior of your lake house:

1. It is a good idea to go out to the street, take a few minutes and look around. What do potential buyers see? Your goal is to make a good first impression on them. Having well maintained landscaping, a manicured lawn, and a fresh paint job on the exterior show that You the current owner has had pride in the house and have taken good care of it. This good first impression will place the prospective buyers in a good mood and will reflect on how the remainder of the house is perceived.

2. Next, step outside your front door and close the door; then stand on the stoop and look around for 5 minutes. While the Realtor fumbles for keys and tries to figure out how to open the door, the clients are standing behind and looking around. So what are they seeing? Dead plants, old Halloween decorations in the middle of January, cobwebs? Again, not a good first impression!

By taking the time to clean the entry, your buyers will see you have made an effort to care for the lake house. If you have furniture on your front porch, you might want to put a fresh coat of paint on them as well for that extra touch of care.

3. Don’t forget the backyard. While that might not be part of the potential buyers first impression experience, if the lake is visible from the house it will certainly make a lasting impression. Pull up weeds, water plants, do some sweeping or raking and maybe even purchase new furniture or accessories (plant pots, bird houses, etc.). If a dock is present, has it been cared for? Are there weak or missing boards that need to be replaced?

And the biggest tip of all? Think of yourself as the potential buyer looking at your lakefront house for the very first time. What impressions do you get? Would you buy your lake house? What changes would you like to see made before you put an offer to purchase your house?

You may have to make a small investment in staging your home’s exterior, but you’ll recoup your investment when your lake house sells. By staging your house properly, you’ll shorten the period of time your home is on the market and get most if not all of your asking price.

Hubert Miles is the founder of Waterfront Houses USA, an online advertising service. Find a Lakefront House or Lake House in the US and Canada.

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