What is curb appeal?
Curb appeal is anything that makes your home and property appealing to a potential buyer or someone viewing your home. Typically, curb appeal is referred to when a home is for sale, however most homeowners take pride in their homes and want them to look their best at all times. A house and yard that appears neglected deters potential buyers just as an attractive home and property attracts future home buyers. The curb appeal of one home affects the surrounding neighborhood. This important part of homeownership can become daunting and overwhelming. We’ve gathered a list of ways to increase your curb appeal with varying price ranges and time commitments. The good news is, there are several things you can do to step up the exterior of your home, making great first impressions in the future.
Factors of Curb Appeal
There are some main factors to keep in mind when thinking of curb appeal. Your home’s appearance is mostly made up of:
- Landscape- plants, lawn, bushes
- Entryway and front door
- Roof
- Siding
- Fixtures
- Sidewalk
- Windows
- Foundation
- Porch(es)
Improvements to your home’s curb appeal can increase the value of your property, especially if you make changes that are noticeable, long-lasting, and provide value. Most importantly, especially if you are looking to sell your home, the curb appeal or first impression of your home to a potential buyer could make or break a sale. If the potential buyer sees a home and doesn’t have a positive first impression, they may decide not to go inside the home, or if they decide to view the home, a negative attitude could make flaws in the home more noticeable.
Ideas for increasing Curb Appeal
Quick, DIY, or Inexpensive
- Create your own doormat by painting a picture, saying, or your initial using permanent marker and stencil on neutral straw mat
- Add a new wreath
- Clean front door
- Add concrete planters to front porch
- Plant colorful flowers or greenery in yard or in window boxes
- Trim bushes, mow lawn, weed garden areas, replace dead plants
- Paint utility meters to match the color of the home, making them camouflaged and less noticeable
Time Consuming, Professional Help Needed, or More Costly
- Paint exterior of home
- Paint exterior trim of home
- Pave sidewalk with brick
- Build new fence
- Pressure wash
- Replace old shutters or add shutters to windows without them
- Create flower beds around trees in front yard
- Replace old garage doors
- Landscape front and side yards
First impressions:
The wise old saying once said,, “Your first impression is the last impression.”
Not only is this saying true for meeting a person for the first time, but it also applies to curb appeal and the impression you get when you first see a home. Research shows it takes only seven seconds to make a first impression. Another study shows that clothing and style alone count for a first impression and can even change someone’s opinion about another. When two people wore similar outfits and participants were asked what they thought of the two people after just three seconds. A majority of people made positive remarks about the people with nicer, better quality outfits, yet never mentioning the actual clothing.
So…
“What does this mean for a homeowner?” Compare a home to the participants of the study, and you will quickly see the similarities of first impressions of people and first impressions of homes. A home that is well maintained, has bright pops of color, a trimmed and neat lawn, and less clutter, is more likely to have a quick and positive first impression, just for someone driving by. That initial impression will give the potential buyer an opinion about the home and the neighborhood.
As you assess your own curb appeal, keep this in mind. What are some of the small, inexpensive, and diy jobs you can do to increase your curb appeal? Take care of these, so you can feel positive about the exterior of your home, prior to placing it on the market.
The Front Door: The Most Popular Way to Increase Curb Appeal
Drive through your neighborhood and think about what the first thing you look at when you look at someone’s home. When I really paid attention, I realized I most often look at front doors, mailboxes, and the lawn. Those are my three initial thoughts when I’m checking out homes.
Why? The front door is the entryway. The entryway where visitors stand and wait for someone to answer the door, and where visitors enter your home, and get that first impression.
Most experts feel that when making curb appeal improvements, the front door is one of the changes that gives you the biggest return in value. If you can’t fully replace the front door, try painting it a bright and cheerful color.
The Front Door Paint App allows you to test various colors using your own photos of your front door and home. This app gives you a visual of what your home would look like with a pop of front door color before you take the plunge and paint it a new, bright color.
If you’re looking for help with painting a front door, check out this blogger’s post with front door painting instructions.
Homes: Why does curb appeal matter?
Curb appeal is often mentioned with homeowners in regards to selling their home. Not only is it important when selling your home, but it’s also important at all times to your own neighbors and neighborhood. If your own home has poor curb appeal and is an eyesore or unattractive, it can bring down nearby homes and give the impression that there are neighbors that don’t take care of their homes.
HGTV has 20 examples of curb appeal makeovers and Buzzfeed has some as well as a few quick curb appeal fixes. Some of the examples are fascinating. A big difference can be made with some small changes and can quickly add visual appeal to a home. While some of the improvements shared were an extensive amount of work, there are also some minimal changes that might give you a few ideas for your own living space.
HGTV pro tips also has some ideas for increasing curb appeal in your home.
We hope you can use some of these tips and facts about curb appeal and that it inspires you to make your home the best on the block!
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