It won’t be long until the warm weather is back. Spring is the perfect time of year to not only spring clean the inside of your home, but to spruce up the outside as well. Adding curb appeal to your home involves small repairs to save you expensive fixes in the future and simple updates to improve the value of your home. If you’re looking to sell your house, curb appeal creates a great first impression for potential buyers. Since potential buyers are more likely to want to see the inside of a home if they like the outside, creating curb appeal only makes sense.
Take pride and up your curb appeal with these inexpensive improvements.
The Mailbox
Start at the curb. Your mailbox may be the first thing people see when they are looking at your house. Mailboxes quickly become weathered with chipped paint, mold, or rotting posts. Make a statement with a clean, sturdy mailbox. Install a new post or even build a brick column if desired. Choose a mailbox that has a similar style to your house. Attach your house number to the mailbox with numbers that match your home’s other hardware, and then finish it off by planting some flowers around the bottom of the post.
Landscaping
It’s amazing how much a few bushes, trees, or flowers can improve the exterior look of a home when they are planted in the right places. A bare yard looks cold and uninviting. Landscaping can help frame a house and make it look finished. Take note of other yards’ landscaping and get advice from your local nursery on what type of plant or tree that would work in your space. Plant flowers along your sidewalk, hang flower baskets from your porch, or edge your driveway with a border. Planting trees and plants is an easy way to add curb appeal.
Your problem may not be a lack of trees and bushes, but an overabundance. When foliage is blocking the view of your home, looking overgrown, rubbing against your siding, or hanging over your roof, it’s time to cut back and prune. Use a chainsaw to trim branches and a hedge trimmer to prune bushes.
Exterior Lighting
What if your home could look as inviting at night as it does during the day? You can accomplish this with exterior lighting. Lighting will improve security at night, provide light to see your step, and draw attention to your nice landscaping.
A good start is to place solar lights along your sidewalk. These are easy to install and don’t require electricity. Choose attractive porch lights and sconces that match your home’s other hardware.
The House Itself
Start with your front door. Draw attention to your home by painting your door with a fresh coat of paint. Choose a color that complements the other colors on your home but makes a bright statement. A wreath on the door also adds a nice touch.
Go a little further by polishing your door’s hardware. Have worn-out hardware that wouldn’t look any better with elbow grease? Buy new matching hardware (doorknob or house numbers).
Flowers look great at your mailbox, and they make a great statement on your porch also. Arrange flowerpots or hanging flower baskets on your porch and make the whole setting more inviting with a chair or swing.
Chipped, pealing paint and rotting wood are curb unappealing. If your budget and time allow, paint your home’s trim, shutters, or siding.
Replacing the garage doors on the front of your home can make a big impression. Drab, dilapidated garage doors aren’t energy efficient and can age a home. New garage doors that open at the push of a button are very attractive to potential buyers.
Where to Start?
Make a list and get started. Work as hard as you can for one afternoon, and your home’s curb appeal will already be on the way up.
