Whether we are planning on putting our house on the market, or we’re just looking to spruce up our homes before the holidays, one of the things that makes a huge impact is curb appeal, and how our homes look from the outside. If you’re selling your house, it has to stand out and invite potential buyers in. If the house looks drab, or it doesn’t stand out, you just won’t be able to attract them. If you’re not selling, you still want a house exterior that makes you happy to come home everyday. If you’re going to be entertaining over the holidays, curb appeal is a great way to wow your guests. The only challenge is that making changes to your home can be costly if you’re not wise about budget and the choices you make. The secret is to do a mix of low cost and high impact changes so that you can spend money where it matters. Here are some ideas.
Fix, fix, fix
Before any aesthetics come into play, the first thing we need to sort out is any structural stuff or repairs, because no matter how good the house looks, if those fixes are done over a bad structure, it’s a waste of money. This is especially true when you’re selling your home, the last thing you want to do is end up having to undo all the pretty work. There are some home repairs you should never ignore. These include any broken or unsteady porch pillars, any unstable steps, and very importantly, the roof. The last thing you want to do is try to sell a house with a terrible roof. According to BlueBonnet, a roofing company in Austin, “a damaged roof doesn’t just significantly reduce the value of your home, it also compromises the structural integrity of it, and means you and your family aren’t secure.” A roof repair might not be the most noticeable thing when it comes to curb appeal, but it’s something we should prioritize.
Paint the Door
It seems like a small thing to do, but did you know that just painting your door a contrasting and even a bright color, can be just the curb appeal your home needs? It’s small but it makes a huge impact. It will make the house the most noticeable one on the block, and it will invite people in and it will make your home look like it got a high price renovation when all you did was change the color on the door. Colors like blue, coral, and yellow can really make a huge difference and change the look and feel of the home.
Add Greenery
Landscaping can turn the most bare and boring looking exterior into a lush, inviting front yard. Just the addition of a few shrubs, herbs and bushes can completely transform how your space looks from the street, and it can give your home the much needed makeover that it craves.
Repair Your Driveway
Nothing makes a front yard look unsightly like a cracked, broken and old driveway. If the concrete looks like it has seen better days, it might be time to bite the bullet and spend the money to resurface or even completely replace it. The driveway might seem like a minor thing, but when it doesn’t look right it will completely ruin everything else about your home’s exterior. Make sure you get a pro who can really solve the problem. Your driveaway is definitely not something you can pinch pennies on.
Other changes you can make
- Add a porch swing or porch furniture, to give a more lived-in feel to the home.
- Paint the exterior trim to make it stand out and look brand new.
- Change the exterior lighting.
- Clean up the gutters.
- Cut down some trees so that your home isn’t hiding.
- Run a pressure washer over the home to clean all the built up dirt and grime. It’s extremely beneficial.
A beautiful home isn’t just about the inside, it’s about the whole package, including what the outside looks like. In order to create a beautiful visual experience, it’s important that it starts from the point people pull up by the curb and see everything. This is why we have to invest in getting as much curb appeal as possible in our homes. Whether we decide to do big ticket changes, or just make a few tweaks and minor paint changes, the best homes take into account the fact that the outside is just as important as the inside, and attention must be paid to it.
