Staging: Replacing Caulk

If you want to do like that Sheila E. song and live a glamorous life, I have some good advice: Don't be a homeowner or stager! I'm only partly kidding here. Whenever I do my walk through of a client's home, I am not only looking at it through the eyes of a potential buyer, but also of a potential home inspector. An average buyer will spend about 30 minutes looking at your home. They might not notice little things specifically, but they WILL notice if the house appears to be generally run down or unkempt. Inspectors on the other hand, spend hours going over your house with a fine tooth comb. They see, photograph, and list all of its flaws for your buyer to consider. This can affect the amount you get for your house and even make a buyer walk away, so you want to really impress your inspector, and the only way to do that is to keep up with maintenance.
Living in southern Texas, one thing that any homeowner who has a west or south facing door can tell you is that the caulk has to be replaced fairly often--maybe once a year or every two years. It's not a big job, but it's the kind of little detail that shows you really stay on top of things.

My back door faces west and gets cooked all summer long, so in the fall, I peel out the old caulk and replace it. My tips for replacing caulk are: Get yourself the caulking tool shown in the center of the bottom photo because having the right tool for removing and installing this sticky goo is essential. I have small hands, so I prefer the squeeze tube of caulk to a gun, but try both to see what you prefer. Make sure to get Window & Door caulk, and if you can, buy something that is UV resistant. It does last a little longer, even here.  I also wear old clothes for this project because I'm a disaster and always get some on me. If you are allergic to latex products, you will want to wear gloves.
Another trick that can help is to tape off the area to be caulked with blue painter's tape to ensure a straight line and that caulk doesn't smear all over your brick or siding.
Replacing caulk isn't glamorous. In fact, it's down right boring. But, it will help keep your home comfortable, protect your door frames, and it just looks better than those nasty cracks.
I've seen photos like the one above on many inspector's reports. If you are selling your home and want to get top dollar, don't let it be on yours!