Tips To Enhance Your Home’s Curb Appeal
Being a few weeks away from summer, now is the perfect time of year to spruce up your home’s curb appeal. You may be looking to refresh the front of your house so that you can come home to a place you fall in love with every time you walk up to the front door, or you may be selling your house and want to add value to your property. Curb appeal is crucial because it’s the first impression people have of your home and it sets the stage for the rest of your house. Late spring and summer are desired times to sell your home, and the bottom line is that homes with great curb appeal will sell faster and at a higher price point than those without. So let’s take a look at some tips that will help spruce up your home and make it more “appealing” as well as increase its value.
1. CLEAN UP
A great first step to enhancing your home’s curb appeal is to clean up the exterior. This is a crucial part of the process as it helps pave the way for all other enhancements you plan to make, and it’s the first sign to potential buyers that you’ve taken care of the house and property. Tidying up involves such things as cleaning your gutters, removing clutter and debris, washing your windows and sweeping your porch. A power washer is extremely helpful at cleaning windows, garage doors, driveways, paths, and fences, and making them look as good as new.
2. LANDSCAPING
One of the easiest ways to spruce up your home’s curb appeal is through landscaping. Landscaping is a great opportunity to extend the character and vibe of your home to the edge of your property. Whether you have a small or large plot of land, enhancing your yard is a surefire way to say “welcome home” to potential buyers. You can plant bushes, trees and flowers that complement both your home’s colour scheme and architecture. Choose plants that are low maintenance and are suitable for the climate you live in. You should trim shrubs, rid the yard of any weeds, and can mulch planting beds which both promote garden growth and prevent weeds. Plants at the front of your property also provide a nice view, and potentially some privacy from inside. Plants are also beneficial as they help to cool incoming warm air in the summer as well as offer natural shade. You can also add other elements such as a water feature or a stone path to make your landscape more attractive.
3. PAINT
It may prove to be challenging to sell your house if it’s in need of a new paint job. Consider whether you need to paint the whole exterior or just shutters, front door, trim and/or column accents. If you are looking to sell your home, it’s typically better to fit in than stand out, so have a look at your neighbours houses to get an idea of what colour you should use. Traditional hues such as white/off white, taupe, and light blue/gray blues tend to attract buyers and allow them to visualize how they will fit into the space.
4. LIGHTING
In addition to being beautiful by day, your property’s exterior should be attractive and welcoming at night as well. Outdoor lighting can make a big difference in the look of your home. It can make your property appear more inviting, as well as increase its security. You want to make sure that you have adequate lighting that highlights your house number, as well as the path to your front door. Consider installing low-voltage lighting to emphasize your landscaping, or add solar-powered lights along your driveway or walkway. Another idea is to incorporate a decorative light fixture on your front porch to add some pizazz.
5. FRONT PORCH FACELIFT
Your entryway should make visitors feel welcome and comfortable. In addition to cleaning it up and inspecting for any loose, uneven (wooden or stone) flooring boards or stairs, there are several other enhancements you can do to spruce things up. Think about laying down a new doormat, and planting some pots of flowers. You can also upgrade your mailbox and light sconces, and add new house numbers. Seeing as one of the first things your guests will touch is your front door hardware, consider swapping out your old door handle for one of the stunning deadbolts that match each and every handle model in our collection! Check out our Deadbolt collection as well as our Handles collections
We hope you learned a few things as to how you can enhance your curb appeal this season! Given that house hunters form their opinions rather quickly, and that your home’s curb appeal can have a big impact on the sale of your property, incorporating these five tips can help your home go from “For Sale” to “Sold”!