You know that awful feeling you get when someone is coming to visit your home and you’re not sure if they’ll like it or what they will say about the exterior of the property? Or worse yet, how potential buyers might react. You dread even entertaining these thoughts because it’s so stressful. But here’s the good news: there are some things you can do right now to make your house stand out in a positive way and give off an inviting vibe for any visitors who come by. Here are five quick tips on improving your curb appeal for both neighbors and prospective buyers alike:
1. Give Your Yard Some Love
If there’s one thing that can give off the wrong impression about your home, it’s a yard that is unkempt and littered with debris. Leaves and shrubbery clippings that have fallen around the bushes and grass appear unruly and untidy. You can clear up this issue by hiring a lawn maintenance service to do a once-over on your property every week or two. If you don’t have the money for that, you can always buy a lawnmower and do it yourself.
You can take it up a notch and plant a flowerbed to add a pop of color to your otherwise white, beige, gray, or any other neutral-colored exterior. You can even plant a tree if you have the property space to do so. Either way, this is an instant upgrade for your home’s exterior and will have people guessing what else you’ve done with it on the inside.
2. Paint Your Doors an Inviting Color
This is a small detail that makes a world of difference in terms of how your home is perceived from the street. If your front door is a drab color like brown or beige, consider painting it red, green, blue, yellow, orange—you name it! Any bright and high-contrast color will do wonders to improve your home’s curb appeal. In addition, you can paint the door a brighter shade of the color that your shutters and your exterior walls are painted. You can also add some potted plants in front to draw attention to the entrance.
3. Add Shutters for an Instant Boost
Having shutters on the exterior of your home instantly draws attention and gives off a feeling of coziness and comfort. Shutters also protect your windows from severe weather, especially if you’re living in an area known for hurricanes. They can be whatever color you want them to be and serve as an accent piece for your home. You can also experiment with window boxes, exterior planters, or window panes if shutters aren’t your thing—or if they’re not allowed for whatever reason by your city’s housing association.
4. Upgrade Your Exterior Lighting
This is one step you cannot afford to skip when you want to make a good impression on bystanders, potential buyers, or visitors. There are plenty of ways to give your home’s exterior an instant makeover. One way is to replace the bulb in your front porch light with a new LED one that emits a brighter white or yellow glow, depending on what you prefer. You can also consider adding bare-bulb string lights around your porch and along the side of your house. They’re gorgeous and add an extra spark of charm to your home’s exterior.
5. Clean Your Gutters
This is a simple yet often overlooked detail that can have a major impact on the overall look of your home’s exterior. Clogged rain gutters are a messy sight because they fill up with leaves and sticks from nearby trees, especially after it rains. It might take some effort to get the gutter stains out of your gutters by hand, but doing so will ensure that they drain properly and don’t overflow when it’s raining again. If you need help or advice on this front, don’t hesitate to contact a professional to help you out.
Bonus Tip: Add a Focal Point Near the Entrance
Adding a focal point near the front of your home is a great way to improve its curb appeal and make it stand out more. You can do this by sprucing up the area around your front door with potted flowers, rotating seasonal décor, or even an indoor water feature. Furthermore, you can also replace your front door with one that’s more custom-made according to your preferred style. If you’re not sure where to start, don’t be afraid to ask for help. People in most neighborhoods are happy to assist when it comes to exterior updates that improve a home!
The five ideas (plus one bonus) highlighted in this article will help you make your home more inviting to potential buyers, neighbors, and passersby. You’ll find that these simple changes can have a significant impact on how others perceive your property. It pays to invest some time and money into making your home as appealing as possible.
