Easy Ways to Improve Curb Appeal

Curb appeal is the look and feel you get from the outward appearance of a home and the first impression your home gives to potential homebuyers. When your home has good curb appeal and you’ve set the stage for an inviting place to call home, everyone – including potential homebuyers want to see what’s inside. That’s why good curb appeal is one of the most important factors in selling your home. With a few simple improvements you can dramatically improve your home’s curb appeal and highlight the wonderful qualities of your home.

Here are a few easy ways to improve curb appeal:

A Fresh Exterior

Any exterior home defects such as peeling paint or cracked trim will definitely be noticed by potential homebuyers and downgrade your home’s aesthetic. You might be able to repair and paint the trouble spots, but to ensure a good first impression you may need to consider repainting the entire house. Giving your home a facelift with a fresh coat of paint, including shutters, siding, and trim details can really impact the look and feel of your home’s exterior and certainly increase its curb appeal.

A Welcoming Front Door and Entry

Your front door and entry-way is the main focal point of your home’s curb appeal. You can quickly and inexpensively increase its curb appeal by giving your front door a makeover with a fresh coat of paint that accents the home’s color scheme and polishing up the door fixtures. Add more drama and color, along with a more welcoming feel to your front entry, with a few well-placed potted plants or container gardens in various sizes.

Beautiful, Healthy Greens

A beautiful well-maintained yard and garden is always an important component in your home’s curb appeal. Make sure weeds have been pulled, trees and shrubs have been trimmed, dead growth has been cleared away, and garden borders are in good shape. Give your lawn a weed-and-feed treatment to ensure the grass has the soil nutrients it needs to fight weed growth and of course have it mowed regularly. Adding new flowering plants into an existing flowerbed can add dramatic color, texture, and scale to your garden and add to your home’s curb appeal.

Dress up the Driveway and Walkways

A cracked, stained, or uneven driveway (and walkway) will diminish your home’s curb appeal but in many cases the problems can be easily fixed. There are a variety of remedies for cleaning stained concrete, from home remedies to “power-washing” to using a commercial stain remover. For asphalt driveways, fill any holes or cracks with asphalt patch and then apply a coat of fresh sealer to make a your driveway look new again. If your concrete walkways are in particularly bad shape you may want to consider replacing them with a fresh path made of stone or brick.

Replace or Restore Home Style

Your home details give your home its character, especially if your house has a specific style, such as a modern, traditional, Arts and Crafts, or Colonial. The right home detailing reflects your home’s style and can make a big impact on your home’s overall appeal. House numbers, front door hardware, exterior lighting fixtures, decorative fences and gates, your garage door, and even your mailbox are all the home details that add to your home’s overall style and enhance your home’s curb appeal.