10 Ways To Enhance Your Home’s Curb Appeal

Curb appeal can be incredibly costly but it doesn’t always have to be. Whether you plan to sell your home or you want to spruce up your yard there are many both large and small projects you can do yourself. One of the easiest thing that can be done is mowing the lawn, planting some flowers and doing some weed eating! That alone can take a home from looking abandoned to brand new!

(This is a contributed post, for more information about my compensation please read my disclosure policy)

Curb appeal refers to your home’s overall attractiveness as seen from your lawn, street, or front sidewalk. Homeowners and passers-by alike appreciate property with an impressive curb. The exterior impression your house gives is as important as its interior design, perhaps even more.

According to a Michigan State University study, curb appeal efforts increase your home’s perceived value by 5 to 11%. Do you want to know more about how you can boost your home’s general attractiveness?

Here are ten points for you to consider.

• Upgrade your house number

Most people ignore their house numbers when thinking of improving their home’s overall attractiveness. However, many realtors advise that a simple upgrade on your house number can go a long way in enhancing the first impression your home gives.

Consider big, sleek, and shiny house numbers for labelling your home to provide it with an aesthetic appeal. Depending on your tastes, you could go for; painting the numbers on stones in your front yard, suspending the numbers on a wooden sign painting numbers next to or above your front door, among other themes that match your home’s unique style.

Therefore, you should consider upgrading your house number to give your home a modern and refreshing look.

• Install proper outdoor lighting

A well-lit exterior also makes your house attractive.

The contrast that the overall ambiance provides against the dark of nightfall gives your home a wonder-like feel and makes it stand out at night. You could strategically place bright lights along your walkway and lawns to brighten your home and provide electricity.

There are various trendy string lights, lamps, and solar lights that give your home a modern look. Aside from making your house look nice, lights also provide a sense of security around the home.

Since burglars prefer places where they are less likely to be seen, lights may serve as a deterrent to robbers looking to break into your property.

• Add some fencing

Fencing around your home defines your space and gives your property an organized feel.

Houses enclosed within a fence appear to blend seamlessly into the background landscape compared to those without barriers. There are many different styles and heights of fencing to choose from; vinyl, chain-link, metal, and wood fencing are popular among homeowners.

However, you should choose one that best compliments your home’s style. Fences add height and extra dimension to your home, and most realtors say they make an excellent first impression on potential home buyers.

Fences are also great for privacy and safety, shutting out your property from the prying eyes of neighbours and passers-by. Good fencing also serves as a border to your flowers and other greenery, and is used by many professional landscapers in their design.

Consider adding a fence to improve your home’s curb appeal while boosting security.

• Invest in landscaping

Realtors say that landscaping is the first level of aesthetic appeal that home buyers notice from their line of vision, meaning that people in general, pay attention to the state of your lawns as they approach your home.

Mowing your lawns and maintaining its greenery is vital to the good impression you want your home to give. There are various landscaping options to choose from, such as artificial turfs, grass-based landscapes, trees, flowers, and vegetable beds.

Landscape decoration also beautifies your home. It would help if you considered ideas like arranging pebbles around your shrubbery, colourfully painting some rocks, and adding life-like wooden or concrete garden swans to complement the greenery by giving it a more natural look.

• Freshen your home’s paint job

Most real estate experts agree that a fresh paint job is an instant way of improving your home’s curb appeal. Indeed, a survey showed that homeowners who painted their homes’ exterior received about double the return on their investment when they sold their houses.

Even if you are not looking to sell, having defaced walls with old, peeling paint makes your home look ancient and unkempt. Applying a fresh, modern touch of colour could magically transform your home’s dull appearance into a sharper look.

Paint jobs are typically time-consuming and potentially costly. Therefore, you should follow the five to ten-year interval period that many experts recommend as ideal for painting.

• Upgrade your mailbox

Replacing your outdated mailbox with a more stylish and modern one is another cost-effective and efficient way of increasing your home’s curb appeal that you should strongly consider.

Mailboxes are one of the first things we see when we enter into a home’s exterior space. An old mailbox can make your home appear out of touch, even against the backdrop of modern architecture, good landscaping, and other additions that beautify homes.

Mailboxes are customizable and have become essential to the overall style of homes. You can affordably replace your mailbox from many hardware stores with many modern and creatively designed ones made from all kinds of materials.  

• Paint and replace your front door’s hardware

Your front door is one of the features of your home’s exterior that catches the eye of most people. It would be best if you keep your door in good condition at all times.

You can replace your door entirely if it is too old or give it a paint job to make it stand out instead of blend in and make it a more attractive focal point. Try hanging a wreath on your door to make it more welcoming. Also, consider upgrading your door’s hardware to give it a fresh look.

Some experts recommend door knockers and other brass hardware whose colours contrast with the door for an overall aesthetic appeal. 

• Enhance your porch’s look

About 64.7% of newly built American family homes have porches, meaning porches continue to edge out decks and patios as the most popular home exterior space for Americans.

Your front porch is the central part of your home’s exterior that guests, neighbours, and passers-by will see first, making it an important place to consider upgrading to improve your home’s curb appeal.

Add some porch lights and include seating options like hammock chairs or small hanging benches to make your porch a better hosting place for visitors while improving your home’s overall appearance.

•  Power washing 

Many realtors recommend pressure washing your home as a cheaper, faster alternative to painting. If your paint is not peeling off, you may not need a new paint job.

Consequently, you should rent a power washer from Home Depot and other hardware stores if you do not own any. Then, proceed to remove dirt that has solidified onto the paint in your driveway, porch, and walkway for years.

According to The National Association of Realtors, a power wash can add up to $15,000 to your property’s value. Therefore, you should consider power washing your home’s exterior yearly to maintain its aesthetic appeal while boosting its value. 

•  Maintain your driveway

People will mostly access your home using your driveway. Consequently, many landscape experts recommend regularly maintaining your driveway to boost curb appeal. Generally, there are three ways by which you can address driveway issues: enhancement, repair, and replacement.

Common driveway problems are weeds you would need to uproot, cracks you would have to repair or redo, depending on the problem’s nature and severity.

Also, supposing your driveway is in good condition, you can introduce some decorative elements made from bricks, shrubbery, and other stuff.

A poorly maintained driveway is not only an eyesore but can be risky, and so you should regularly invest in driveway maintenance. 

(This is a contributed post, for more information about my compensation please read my disclosure policy)