15 Simple Tricks for Boosting Your Home’s Curb Appeal

Whether your family needs a bigger house or you scored a sweet new job and have to move or just crave a change of some sort, deciding to sell your house is a big decision. But preparing your house for the big sale can be a time-consuming and frustrating experience. If you want top dollar for your humble abode, you’ve got to spend hours inside and out, refreshing and updating the thing from top to bottom. (And yes, that means dropping some dough on any needed repairs, whether some rotten siding or a whole new HVAC system.)
But the main draw to buyers when first laying eyes on your soon-to-be-sold home is the “curb appeal,” or, to put a definition to this industry parlance, how it looks from the street. If you can draw potential buyers in with that first glance, you’re far more likely to convert them into proud new owners. Sprucing up the outside of your house and transforming it into an über-attractive abode is eminently doable. Just spend a few weekends putting a bit more sweat equity into your house and it should make it off the market in no time. And who knows: with all of the new gorgeous upgrades, you may just want to keep it after all.

1. Trim your shrubs.

One of the most common curb appeal killers, and easiest fixes, is to simply give those tall and window-obscuring shrubs and bushes out front a nice flat-top trim. Letting prospective buyers see the full front of the house with windows and all will go a long way toward unloading your house quickly.

2. Put out planters.

On the other hand, if the front of your home looks more like a barren wasteland than an overgrown jungle, adding some greenery will help the home pop and look more inviting. Buy some big planters and fill them with tall evergreen bushes like boxwoods, juniper, or Hicks Yew.

3. Pressure wash

Grime and mold and algae that you probably don’t even notice are surely covering the outside of your home, so if you don’t want to paint, or commit the funds to a whole house refresh, rent or borrow a pressure washer. These powerful little cleaning buddies will quickly remove dirt from siding and clean up driveways, walkways, patios, and decks so they look like new.

4. Add color to the front door.

The main portal to your home, the front door can be a powerful symbol to the potential new homeowner, so take some time to choose a bold and interesting color to make it pop and attract maximum attention. Don’t be afraid to go a little nuts and choose something ultra colorful and shocking, especially if the rest of your house is a bland or boring color, the contrast will pay off!

5. Paint the house.

Though not quite a simple task, unless you have some extra money in your curb appeal budget to pay professional painters, going back over your house with new paint can make it look, well like new! And if you do have the money, it’s as easy as writing out a check or running a credit card.

6. Don’t be afraid to go bold.

When thinking of an overall plan to attack the outside of your home, whether painting trim, adding flowers boxes, or landscaping the yard, don’t be shy and go for some pops of color and other interesting architectural flourishes that will make your home stand out and be more noticeable from the street.

7. Add a seasonal wreath.

No matter the time of year, but especially around the holidays, it’s nice to give your abode a more homey feel by adding a well-chosen wreath for the door. Grapevine wreaths are a good choice for fall, and of course, one made from pine branches will be a hit for the winter season. Go for something fresh and green for spring and summer like eucalyptus, olive branches, and lavender.

8. Cut clutter.

If you add new and eye-catching items to the front of your home, make sure you don’t add too much. Take away anything old and crusty and broken that’s already in your yard or on your porch. Update and delete at the same time to transform the home into an indubitably desirable must-buy.

9. Clean your gutters.

Worn and clogged gutters won’t impress any prospective home buyers, so give them a thorough cleaning and power wash the outside free of years of built-up dirt and debris. If they are looking sad and saggy though, consider a full replacement to really sharpen up the lines of your soon to be sold home.

10. Repair the driveway.

When potential buyers roll up to your home on a drab, cracked, and weed-filled driveway, that’s just one more thing on the list for them to worry about. You don’t want to tamp down enthusiasm off the bat, so make sure to spruce up the driveway by pulling weeds, filling cracks, and power washing the whole thing.

11. Clean the windows.

Another great weekend project that doesn’t seem like it would do much for enticing potential buyers, but once you see the difference between a dirty, dingy window that hazily lets in light compared to a crystal clear one that allows all of the bright light in, you’ll be sold too.

12. Maintain your lawn.

Keeping up with the lawn is something most homeowners love or hate, but if you’re about to put your home up for sale, you need to keep on top of maintenance like never before. A neatly trimmed lawn with well-kept bushes and shrubs just screams “buy me!” to new homeowners that may be on the fence.

13. Add new mulch/bark.

When adding new landscaping don’t forget to lay down some fresh mulch or pine bark to the natural areas to cover up and kill weeds along with giving the whole yard a finished feel. The ground covering will also promote healthier soil so the new owners will have lush landscaping long past the move-in date.

14. Hide unsightly items.

Go out again to the street and take a long look at the front of your home. Can you see the AC unit peaking out? Is the junction box sticking out like a sore thumb on the side of the house? Is your garden hose a jumbled mess on the ground? Take steps to hide these unsightly eyesores like planting bushes in front of the AC, painting the junction box the same color as the house and putting the hose in a decorative container.

15. Get a new doormat.

The moment before your potential home buyers come up to your new and freshly painted door, they will look down as they step over your door sill. Don’t destroy all of your hard work on the outside of your home and leave a ratty and ragged doormat. Be sure to get a fresh and classic mat made of sisal, seagrass, or coir.

To view full article:  https://bestlifeonline.com/curb-appeal/
Original Post By: Adam Bible- September 6, 2018  Photo Source: bestlifeonline.com and Google Images