So you are considering selling your lake house. It may be scary in these tough economic times and you may need to consider staging your lake house to make your home more appealing to prospective buyers and to get the price you desire. Staging your house is the act of setting up your house in such a manner that it is 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. Evaluate what prospective buyers see from the street. By standing at the street, what do these buyers see as the drive down the driveway? Avoid making a negative impression. Is the landscaping well maintained? Is paint peeling off the front of the house or fencing? If they see that the house appears neglected, they will be more critical of the rest of the house. This can also reflect badly on the interior, even if you spent a lot of money to fix it up.

2. As the prospective buyer is waiting for the Realtor is open the front door, what do they see? Will the buyers see nice potted and inground plants, clean and insect free corners in and around the front entry? Are your Christmas lights from still up in the middle of the summer? A good clean exterior keeps the positive energy flowing as they enter the interior of the lake house.

It will pay dividends to make the effort to clean and make the surrounding area look nice. Why not go ahead and put a fresh coat of paint on any furniture or accessories.

3. The backyard will likely be the last place your prospective buyer looks as many Realtors will hold the best for last – the lake. If the lake is visible from the house it will certainly make a lasting impression. Now the lake is the biggest selling point, the yard and walking path to the lake should be well maintained. Trimming back overgrown shrubbery and trees, raking up unwanted straw or leaves, and mulching plant beds is a good start. Adding a fresh coat of paint to the existing furniture, new furniture or accessories such as bird baths, globes, etc are also a plus. If you have a dock at the lake, is it in good condition or does it need some TLC?

Another tip that should not be overlooked is to think of yourself as the prospective buyer that is seeing your lakefront house for the very first time. If there are things that you would like changed, it is likely that others will feel the same way. Try to make your house look the best.

And don’t worry about spending a lot of money to get your house ready to sell you’ll recoup it when your house sells. Proper staging helps you sell your lake house in a shorter period of time and at the price you want.

Hubert Miles is the founder of Waterfront Houses USA, an online advertising service that provides Lakefront Houses and Lake Houses available in the US and Canada.