Contact: Ginny Long FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Director of Public Affairs Moen Incorporated (800) , Ext. 2019

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1 Contact: Ginny Long FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Director of Public Affairs Moen Incorporated (800) , Ext Kristi Stolarski or Kathy Willmott Robert Falls & Co. Public Relations (216) GIVING YOUR HOME ADDED CURB APPEAL (INSIDE AND OUT) BEFORE IT GOES ON THE MARKET Tips for Simple and Cost Effective Home Makeovers That Will Spruce Up Your Home and Provide Greater Buyer Appeal North Olmsted, Ohio You ve decided to sell your home and obviously want to get the most out of your investment. While you re doing the normal activities such as cleaning out the basement and organizing the garage, consider a few other things that can make your home look its best. Although simple to do and cost effective, they will add increased value to your home and grab the attention of potential buyers. According to Charlotte Barnard, Executive Editor of House Beautiful, Kitchen and Bath Planner, it is absolutely essential to spruce up a home before putting it on the market. The exterior of your home makes a first impression you want people to be excited about the house before even coming in. Since many times people buying existing homes want to do their own remodeling to make it uniquely theirs, you probably wouldn t want to do any major overhauls, but cosmetic fix-ups are definitely a must.

2 Apply a Fresh Coat of Paint to Both Interior and Exterior A fresh coat of paint to select areas of a home will give a new, clean appearance. This includes outside areas such as garage doors or main entrance doorways that may detract from the beauty of a house if they are peeling or unsightly. Inside, neutral colors will make a home look more stylish and open up confined spaces that might look smaller if painted with dark, out-of-date colors. Replace Outdated Faucets Nothing dates a kitchen or bath quicker than old, outdated faucets, especially if they are scratched, cracked or dripping. For starting under $150, a homeowner can buy a high quality faucet, such as Moen s Eva, for the bath. The Eva Collection offers an elegant look that will give today s bath timeless appeal. To really make your kitchen or bath standout to potential buyers, you may want to consider adding a faucet with one of the new, unique finishes, says David Lingafelter, Vice President and General Manager, Wholesale. What s hot includes finishes with a brushed or Old World look such as Brushed Nickel and Oil Rubbed Bronze. In addition, Moen offers a full array of more traditional finishes such as polished brass and chrome to match any room style. Brush Up Your Landscaping What is one of the first things potential buyers see when they pull into your yard? The landscaping, of course. Pull out all dead or overgrown shrubbery and cut back anything that may make your yard look unkempt. Also, it is inexpensive but well worth the money to add new mulch, plant a few flowers or re-seed bare spots in your grass to give your home added curb appeal. New outdoor lighting, a new front door or even new door hardware can also create a more attractive exterior. Replace Outdated Fixtures and Accessories

3 Much like faucets, nothing gives away the age or the beauty of your home quicker than outdated fixtures and accessories. Lighting fixtures, towel bars, face plates, register covers and curtain rods are all inexpensive items that can be purchased at the local home center and easily replaced with minimal effort. You may be surprised how these small items can create dramatic results in a room. The latest rage is integrating the look of all accessories with fixtures in the bath. In particular, Moen provides accessories to match its faucet and tub/shower sets which are available in a multitude of new, hot finishes such as Brushed Nickel or Oil Rubbed Bronze which can really upgrade the look, feel and glamour of any bath. Steam Clean Carpets For under $200, you can find a reputable carpet cleaning company in your area that can steam clean your carpets. Not only will this remove some of the signs of wear, especially in high traffic areas, it will also minimize smoke, animal and other smells that may be unwanted guests in your home. Many consumers are now purchasing their own steam cleaning units, which are available for purchase at typically the same cost of one carpet cleaning. Bath Tub and Tile Spray Painting A quick and easy technique that homeowners are now using to update the look of their bath is hiring someone to use spray paint for stained, unsightly bathroom tile and tub. Especially in older homes where the bath may have outof-date colors such as lime green or baby pink and a bathtub that is stained after years of use, a neutral color such as white or almond may provide just the right look. And remember, the bath is one of the rooms that is critically assessed by potential buyers. If you don t want to make the investment to have these areas repainted, at least replace any discolored caulking. It is a real turn off for a potential buyer to inspect your tub and shower area to find old, blackened or cracking caulking which may be harboring germs and bacterial. For just a few

4 dollars and some elbow grease, you can buy and install new caulking that will make your bath look cleaner, newer and more appealing. Power Wash After a few years, any paint job or siding may loose its luster. By power washing the exterior of your home, you can easily make it look newer and cleaner. When your open house is competing with others on your block, even a small upgrade such as power washing will make a difference and it is a lot cheaper than repainting the entire house! Repair Exterior Areas Leveling broken sidewalks or re-paving areas of your driveway that have divots or cracks will also go a long way to giving your home more curb appeal. Although re-paving a whole driveway is a large investment, repairing certain portions is something that can usually be done by the homeowner or a service with minimal time and expense. Gutters are another one of those items that will make your house look old and in disrepair if they are not up to snuff. Boost your curb appeal by tacking up hanging gutters, cleaning them out and painting them if they are chipping or rusting. Replace downspouts or anything else that may be dented or chipped. Replace Loose Tiles As was noted, any potential homeowner zeros in on the kitchen and bath areas of a home. Make sure yours are in peak condition by thoroughly examining and replacing any tiles that may be loose, cracked or missing. Don t let anything detract from the elegance or the asking price of your home. But, don t forget the basics, warns Barnard. One of the most important things you can do is to clean and declutter your house, especially closets and storage

5 areas. This will not only make your home look bigger, but it will immediately add more sparkle. Remember, you want to create excitement for the buyer. In fact, once you ve made these simple spruce-ups to your home, it may look so nice, that you won t even want to move! For more information about Moen products, contact Moen Incorporated at Al Moen Drive, North Olmsted, Ohio , call toll free BUY MOEN ( ) or visit its web site at ### EDITORS NOTE: Moen Incorporated is one of the world's largest producers of residential and commercial plumbing products. Moen is the #1 brand of faucets in North America. The company manufactures a complete line of single and two-handle faucets in a wide assortment of styles and finishes. It is also a leading producer of residential and commercial sinks and a variety of shower accessories, and manufactures a complete line of plumbing parts and accessories (sold under the trade names Moen, Chicago Specialty, Dearborn Brass, Hoov-R-Line and Wrightway Manufacturing). Moen Incorporated is an operating company of Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE: FO, the consumer products company, with headquarters in Lincolnshire, IL.