Stefan Hyross

Give Your Home The Most Curb Appeal

How good does your home look from the street? Considering how important your home’s curb appeal is, take the time and invest a little bit of money to make sure your home’s exterior appearance is all it can be. 

How good does your home look from the street? Most real estate professionals will tell you, the first impression potential buyers get of your home will determine whether they even get out of the car. Considering how important your home’s curb appeal is, take the time and invest a little bit of money to make sure your home’s exterior appearance is all it can be. 

First things first: make sure your front yard is well maintained. The grass should be cut, the leaves raked, the drive and sidewalk swept and your edged are nicely trimmed. Adding a fresh layer of mulch to your planting beds will give the yard an instant facelift. 

If your home has a very narrow walk leading up to the door, consider investment some money to have it widened. Wide and roomy walks are more inviting as are walkways with a bit of a curve to them. The walkway should be wide enough so that two grown men can use it side by side without jostling one another. 

If you budget does not allow to completely replace your narrow walkway be creative and  improvise with stones, bricks or concrete pavers. Select a material that will not clash with your existing walkway and your home’s exterior. Start by digging out the grass on either side of the walk and lay a line of your selected material along each side. You can fill in the space with sand, river gravel or natural mulch. To make your new and widened walkway even more appealing, make sure you have a crisp edge where your grass begins. 

Prune back large and overgrown shrubs so that they do covers your windows or crowd your house. You may want to widen a narrow planting bed at the front of the house and if possible make it swoop in a curve around the side. At the corner of the house, you can plant something like a butterfly bush or a dogwood. Fill in the rest of the newly widened bed with smaller plants and flowers. Remember to add lots of mulch, around two to three inches deep. 

If you are selling your home in the summer, plants colorful flowers in containers and place them on either side of your front door. You should use  natural material containers as plastic ones have a tendency to look cheap and a bit tacky. Choose clay pots, iron urns or even oak barrels if you have a rustic home. If your front is large enough, you can combine several pots to create a mini garden. 

Lastly, you want to ensure that the exterior of the house is in good condition. Clean the windows, wash the brick or siding, and if your house needs to be painted, do not skimp on that. Your front door should also be clean and freshly painted. It should swing easily on its hinges and the doorknob should for sturdy and work well. Make sure your home is well lit for evening showings. 

Remember that first impressions count, particularly in the eyes of a potential buyer. Your home should look great from the curb and invite potential buyers to come in for a look. 

Article Tags: Curb Appeal, Make Sure

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