First impressions are important, particularly in real estate: It’s referred to as curb appeal. Buyers may be less likely to inspect the rest of a house if the exterior is rundown or unappealing or lacks porch decor. Even if the interiors are stunning, a home with poor curb appeal will make guests and potential buyers feel unwelcome.
Everyone (including potential homebuyers) will want to see what’s inside if your home’s curb appeal makes a good first impression. Check out these simple, low-cost curb appeal upgrades that you can complete in a day, a week, or a month.
What is Curb Appeal?
The term “curb appeal” simply refers to how your house looks from the street. It’s a mash-up of all the eye-catching design elements used to make your home’s exterior look its best.
Homeowners frequently work hard to improve curb appeal because they want their home to look nice when they pull into their driveway at the end of a long day. However, it becomes even more critical when considering putting the property on the market. With this in mind, this company offering Residential Construction Services Milwaukee offers all sorts of repairs and remodeling to improve your home’s curb appeal.
The Importance of Curb Appeal
When it comes to selling a home, ensuring that it has good curb appeal serves two purposes. On the one hand, it frequently serves as a prospective buyer’s first impression of the property.
Essentially, if they like what they see of the exterior of the home, they’re more likely to walk through the front door, which is, after all, the first step toward receiving an offer. You can improve your property and the exterior of your home quickly with faux stone veneer. This material is easy to install and costs less than masonry work.
While you’re hard at work beautifying your home from the outside, don’t forget to take some time to protect it from the inside out. All of your efforts to improve your home’s curb appeal on a budget will be for nothing if a disaster strikes and you lack the insurance coverage to restore it to its former glory. You can avoid this grim scenario by comparing cheap life insurance options to make sure you’re protecting everything you’ve worked so hard for.
Ways to Improve Your Curb Appeal
There are a few simple steps you can take to improve your home’s curb appeal. Among them are the following:
Renew Paint or Repaint the House
A fresh coat of paint can have a revitalizing effect on your home. If the scope of the project appears to be overwhelming — or if the entire house does not require painting — consider repainting the trim in a fun new color.
If you want to stand out from your neighbors’ houses, go ahead and choose a bold color, but make sure it is in accordance with current Homeowners’ Association regulations, if relevant.
Painting your house is an affordable project, as paint costs about $25 per gallon, but it can be time-consuming. Depending on the size of your home, set aside at least two full days to paint.
Upgrade Mailbox
Mailboxes should complement the home and express the personality of the homeowner. Choose a hanging drop box that complements the decor of your home. Paint the wooden post to match the color of the house’s exterior to add curb appeal to mailboxes.
Plant a beautiful flowering garden around your mailbox to instantly make your front yard more welcoming and approachable. Whether you have a regular mailbox by the road or a box mounted to your house, making this simple upgrade shows buyers that you pay attention to details. In fact, when it comes to a home’s curb appeal, a mailbox can sometimes be a deal-breaker.
Work on Landscaping
Maintaining your lawn and landscaping is one of the simplest things you can do to improve your curb appeal. A few fresh plants and flowers can go a long way toward making a home appear welcoming. Pressure cleaning the walkways, driveways, and exterior of the house may also help to give it a new and clean appearance.
Pruning growth, pulling weeds, and planting flowers will help you get your garden beds in shape. Replace any mulch that has faded due to sunlight and harsh weather exposure. If your bed is surrounded by stone or brick, consider cleaning and resetting any soiled or dislodged pieces. If your border is old or worn, consider replacing it with stone or a decorative cast-concrete edging system to improve curb appeal.
Decorate Porch
Your front porch is much more than just a place for packages; it is the first thing guests see and communicates your style to neighbors and passersby. Color your porch and pile on the plants to make it a curb appeal all-star.
Welcome visitors with comfortable porch furniture that invites them to pull up a chair and stay a while. Visitors frequently use rocking chairs that sway in the breeze as a calling card. Even a small chair or table on your porch can serve as a resting station between outside and inside, increasing your curb appeal.
Furthermore, because your front porch is the public face of your home, seating can encourage guests to stay outside and interact with neighbors and streetside activity. Container gardens are inexpensive to add a welcoming feel and colorful curb appeal to any porch. Garden centers sell ready-made pots and containers or make your own out of used plastic containers.
A staggered, asymmetrical arrangement works best for most landscapes to create a dynamic setting.
Add Lighting
New light fixtures can quickly update the appearance of your home and increase its curb appeal. Consider both function and style when purchasing new fixtures for your home. Choose lights that will provide enough light for your entryway. Choose fixtures that mount to the wall the same way as your existing fixtures for ease of installation.
Low-voltage landscape lighting improves your home’s curb appeal while also providing safety and security. Fixtures can be used to add accent lighting to trees or the house and illuminate a walking path — plan to incorporate a variety of fixtures and lighting types for the best landscape lighting. Install solar fixtures if you cannot use lights that require wiring (but understand that their light levels are not as bright or as reliable).
The Finishing Touches
When considering an overall plan to attack the exterior of your home, whether painting trim, landscaping the yard, or adding flower boxes, don’t be afraid to go for pops of color and other interesting architectural aesthetics that will make your home stand out and be more visible from the street.
