Curb appeal is an interesting thing. On the one hand, you can’t see or appreciate it when you’re living inside your house. On the other hand though, you’ll see it every time you come home from somewhere else. Plus, homes with strong curb appeal sell faster and at higher prices than ones with a less-appealing exterior. So what are the factors that contribute to it, and how can you increase your home’s curb appeal?
Update your front entry.
It may not seem like much, but an updated front entry can have a significant impact on your home’s curb appeal. Take a look at this before and after, where the only change is the front door. Notice how much more eye-catching the “after” shot is. Your front door and surrounding area acts as a focal point for your property, and having a front door that invites the eye and fits with the rest of your home’s design play a key role in increasing your home’s curb appeal.
The smaller touches around your entry make a difference, too. For example, replacing your home’s house numbers and mailbox, along with adding a planter or two, can really freshen up the exterior of your home.
Add outdoor accent lighting.
People don’t just look at your home during the daytime, of course! Curb appeal plays an important role at night, too. This is where accent lighting can really shine (sorry, had to). Don’t add lighting to your home for no reason though; it’s called accent lighting for a reason.
Add lighting where it makes sense to do so. Maybe you’re looking to illuminate your garage doors, or highlight an architectural feature. Maybe you have an eye-catching landscaping element that would benefit from some artistic up-lighting. Perhaps it’s a front pathway that could be made more inviting by adding pathway lights. Whatever the use, accent lighting is a great way to dress up your home’s exterior.
Add or update your landscaping.
This is a big one. Landscaping has such a profound effect on your home’s curb appeal that it can add tens of thousands of dollars to your home’s value when it’s done right. Just take a look at this before and after image. As you can see, even a small, basic home can have its curb appeal radically transformed by thoughtful landscaping.
Things like shrubs, flowers and mulched gardens can all be great options to add an extra layer of interest and some natural beauty to your front yard. It’s often not cheap, but it’s usually well worth the investment!
Clean up your yard.
If you’ve been neglecting your yard to the point where it’s now some combination of weeds and scorched spots, laying down a fresh sheet of sod will do wonders for the curb appeal of your property. This is so important, in fact, that many home buyers add it in as a condition of their purchase. Nobody likes to look at a neglected yard!
Even if you have a healthy lawn, there are things you can do to keep it looking its best. Mowing and watering it regularly, removing weeds, and keeping the edges crisp all go a long way toward improving your home’s curb appeal. You can see the difference in this before and after image. Crazy what a difference a small thing like edging can make, isn’t it?
Give your home’s façade a facelift.
Whether it’s changing the material entirely or simply giving your existing façade a paint job, updating your home’s exterior can make a massive difference to the curb appeal of your home. Just look at this before and after shot.
Hard to believe it’s even the same house, isn’t it? Most transformations don’t have to be that stark in contrast; even changing the colour of your paint to something more modern can be a huge difference-maker.
Wrapping it Up
Everyone wants to come home to a place they can be proud of. Often you don’t need to move to a bigger or nicer home in order to achieve that – sometimes, all it takes is to breathe a little life into the exterior of your existing home. With a little effort in the areas we talked about today, you can take your home’s curb appeal from zero to hero too!
