Improving Your Home’s Curb Appeal

Curb appeal is simply how your home looks from the curb. Think of it as something that affects the attractiveness of your home.

Investing in curb appeal is useful for when you need to sell your home. To attract potential buyers, you will have to make your home look its best. People are generally drawn to homes that stand out in their attractive appearance and their overall functionality.

But other than that, curb appeal raises your home’s value. It helps you secure a higher selling price for your home.

Improving the way your house looks from the curb involves a great deal of time and money. That said, let’s take a look at how you can make any curb appeal project worth your while.

Start with a new coat of paint

Over time, the paint job on your home fades away, leaving the exterior walls bleak and bland-looking. You don’t want your property to look lifeless, so giving it a new coat of paint should help you give it a new lease in life.

If you’re planning to repaint your home’s exterior, you will have to decide on whether to use the same color or give the walls a much-needed revamping.

Using the same color is the better option if you want the house to look fresh. It also works for a major rehab project for homes that are 50 years or older. Swapping the color, on the other hand, is great if you want to overhaul your home’s curb appeal.

Either way, you will have to use the right tools and approaches for giving your home a clean coat of paint.

When painting the exterior walls, make sure to choose a paint product that’s non-toxic. Opt for non-VOC paint products made from organic materials. If you’re planning to change the color scheme of your home, look towards pastel colors such as blue and beige to add a cozier feel to your property.

As you get started on painting your exterior, you may want to assess the weather. Summer is a better time than any to consider a repainting project. Low humidity and ample sunlight are ideal for allowing paint to fully cure.

Another tip to follow is to make sure the sidings are also painted so as to complete the overall look of your home.

With these tips in mind, you can definitely give your home’s appearance a much-needed upgrade.

Build a cozy patio

There’s no better place to relax and have hearty conversations over iced tea than the patio. It’s also that part of the property that’s hard not to notice.

Many homebuyers nowadays will look for a patio, so it’s best to build one before you put your house on the market. The principle behind a great patio lies in how it ties together the landscape and the house.

When designing a patio, make sure to add a few elements to the ambience. Adding plants and a few pieces of furniture determines the look and feel of your patio. You might also want to stick to a theme and work on your patio’s design from there.

A good project to consider for your patio is recycled furniture. You can salvage scrap wood and create chairs, tables, and other fixtures which could complete an outdoor set.

It helps if you already have woodworking experience. Otherwise, you can always check out several DIY websites that should help you get started on your patio project.

If you’re not into DIY work, you might as well shop around for fixtures that go well with the look of your home. For rustic-type homes, wicker or hardwood chairs and furniture are great options.

More modern homes, on the other hand, can benefit from minimalist patios with a predominantly monochrome color scheme and blocky furniture for a cleaner and more spacious look.

At any rate, you will have to protect your patio from the elements and provide ample shade. For this reason, it’s best to install a patio cover. This adds to your curb appeal and creates a good space for you and your guests to kick back and relax.

You just have to look for a local to set up a patio cover for you. Phoenix-based City Seamless Patio Covers, for instance, has all the right expertise for building one that’s right for your home. If you’re not in Arizona, look for an installation expert in your area.

Focus on your landscaping

The surrounding landscaping can also impact your home’s curb appeal. You just have to look beyond grass and find other creative ways to make your landscaping stand out like the rest of your home.

As basic as it seems, a front garden is a great way to liven up your landscaping. It adds color and gives a lighter vibe to your property.

You just have to pick the right flowers to go along with the appearance of your home. Modern homes, for one, can work well with flowers that are not overly colorful. To attain a countryside feel for a traditional home, look for flowers with varying shades and hues. This will surely create an inviting atmosphere for any onlooker.

But it’s not only flowers that should make your home attractive. You can also plant trees in the front yard. Many homebuyers want to move in to homes that provide ample shade, so having a tree right in front can help out if you’re planning to sell your home quickly.

You might also add a few more elements for upgrading your landscaping. A fish pond can make for a nice addition. You may also create makeshift mounds where you can plant bushes and other types of greenery to achieve a more naturalistic look for your yard.

Lastly, lawn maintenance has to be done right. The greener and more lush the grass on your front yard, the easier it is to impress other people — especially buyers!

So, if you’re looking to increase your property’s curb appeal, opt to keep the grass irrigated and well fed with fertilizer. It also helps if you understand the type of grass you have so you know how to properly care for it.

Get illuminated

Curb appeal is important regardless of the time of day. Your home can still impress the neighborhood at night — that is, if it’s visible.

Lighting, of course, is crucial to make your home stand out in the darkness. Moreover, the choice of lighting can also enhance the attractiveness of your home.

For instance, installing accent lights on the terrace can make for a very effective mood setter. You may also include string lights of red, yellow, green, and blue which can line the edge of your roof. Gas lanterns are also a great addition if you opt to achieve a simple and rustic charm for your home.

To put some emphasis on your front door, you might want to set up path lights leading to the entrance. Give it a more intimate vibe by placing decorative lanterns or accents lights near the door.

Finally, if you really want your home to be visible at night, install floodlights that fully illuminate the entire facade. This will brighten up your home amid the darkness.

Clean your turf

It’s not only the presentation that convinces people to buy your home or compliment you for how your house looks. You also need to keep the property clean.

Cleanliness makes all the difference. Even if you have all the nice amenities, you still won’t get much out of a property that’s full of clutter.

Clearing up the driveway, clearing the lawn of leaves and other debris, and mowing the grass to the right length can improve the appearance of your home in a way that invites people to your front door, not to mention getting rid of disease-carrying pests that thrive on filth.

During winter, you might want to keep the driveway and the curb free from snow and ice. This will turn out to be practical as you wouldn’t want a potential buyer or a guest to slip and fall.

Rehabilitate your garage

Finally, you may have to consider keeping your garage in great condition. Not only will it help keep your car safe, fixing issues can also make your home look brand new.

For sure, buyers will want to imagine keeping their cars in your garage. Seeing dents on the garage roof and other issues can turn off any buyer, so make sure you deal with these repairs right away. Broken shingles should be replaced and graffiti (if there is any) on your garage door should be covered up with paint. You may also replace the door with a new one if it’s dilapidated.

Just like your exterior walls, you might want to repaint your garage with contrasting colours that will complement the rest of the house.

Curb appeal is one thing you wouldn’t want to overlook if you’re planning to sell your home. It’s also something that should help you gain bragging rights to having the nicest home in your neighbourhood. All you have to do is find the time and the resources to get you started.