Cheap and Easy Ways to Increase Your Home’s Curb Appeal

First impressions are important. We all make assumptions based on our first impressions of anything we see, even homes. If you’re trying to sell your home, having a good-looking exterior is crucial, as it provides an eye-catching snapshot of what your home is like that can lure in potential buyers. Even if you aren’t trying to sell your home, giving it a fresh look can be a great way of increasing the aesthetic appeal of your home, which could potentially boost your mood. After all, a little beauty in your life can go a long way toward raising your spirits as well as your home’s value. It may not be as easy to measure as something like square footage, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, or the location, but a house with curb appeal may be valued higher than a home of similar size and style without it.

The best part about increasing your home’s curb appeal is that it’s easier and more affordable than you may think! With just a few simple tweaks, you can create memorable and dramatic transformations that will wow potential buyers and your neighbors alike without breaking the bank.

Exterior Upgrades

Your home could be designed to a T on the inside, but when you’re trying to increase the curb appeal of your home, it’s important to focus on its exterior. The word “upgrade” can call to mind big projects that feel like too large of an undertaking, but it really only takes a few small tweaks to make your house really pop for guests and potential buyers alike.

• A fresh coat of paint can go a long way. If you feel like your exterior is lacking completely, you could paint your whole house. However, if you’re looking for a simple yet cost-effective way to give your home a whole new look, a fresh coat of paint on your front door, your shutters, and your home’s trim can greatly increase your curb appeal, and a gallon of paint isn’t overly expensive. You could choose a classic color or go for an unexpected and trendy look to really stand out.
• You can install a new and eye-catching doorknob on your front door, a simple and surprisingly effective way to change up your home’s look. With so many new styles on the market at a variety of price points, you have a large variety of options. If you don’t want to buy a whole new doorknob, you could always clean and polish your door fixtures to make them shine.
• Your door is truly the focal point of your home, and even if you think yours is perfect and not in need of a new coat of paint or a new doorknob, you could always add a little something to your door to express your own personal style, like a wreath, a design, or a flag. These little touches look great while also showing off who you are to your neighbors and potential buyers.
• Install new house numbers to show off your address; believe it or not, people look for your address more than you think when they drive by. Upgrade the numbers you use to show your address off in a simple and stylish way. Stores have simple numbers at affordable prices that range in style from classic to contemporary, and you can even shop online for more individualized looks to add a unique touch to your home.
• New exterior lighting is a stylish and functional way to improve your home’s curb appeal. You can find new and unique fixtures anywhere at different price points. Lights for your porch and lanterns that illuminate your walkways can create a safer entryway as well as a more inviting space to sit outside long after the sun sets and just relax with your loved ones.

Porch furniture can also increase your home’s curb appeal. Curtains, seating, a cheerful doormat, and some potted plants can add eye-catching color and give your home a cheery and welcoming aura that makes visitors comfortable from the moment they set foot on your front porch.

• Your gutters and downspouts are an important part of your home that often are overlooked when you’re improving your home’s outward appearance, but if your home has an older gutter system, it’s likely to be suffering from poor gutter maintenance without you even knowing. Look for peeling paint, rust spots, or any other signs that could potentially convey a need for repair or replacement. Newer gutter systems can be made of vinyl or copper, and they require very little effort to install.

Landscaping Tips

Your home is obviously an important part of the equation when it comes to increasing curb appeal, but it’s not the only factor. While the look of the front of your house is important, it’s not the only thing people are looking at: They also want to see a well-maintained and beautiful front yard. Yard work can be a slog under the hot sun sometimes, but it’s incredibly rewarding when you step back and see your efforts blossom into something gorgeous.

• The most important landscaping tip for increasing curb appeal is just to keep your lawn tidy. You can achieve this by mowing your lawn, working on the edging around your walkways and flower beds, and watering your lawn and plants. All of these small tasks can go a long way toward keeping your lawn healthy, green, and vibrant.
• Attract birds to your home by adding birdhouses and bird feeders to the trees and gardens in your front yard. After all, humans aren’t the only living things you want to attract to your yard; birds are a great form of pest control and reduce the need for harsh chemicals because they eat a variety of insects. Larger birds can even provide great rodent control. Certain birds are also pollinators, helping to add extra color to your flowerbeds.

• Add your favorite flowers to your yard! There are so many different ways to create a garden full of colors; you can plant a garden seed by seed in a flower bed, buy ready-made containers of flowers from garden centers and add them to pots all around your patio and front yard to create an asymmetrical and dynamic setting, plant trees to frame your home or entryway, or install flower boxes for an affordable and low-maintenance way to add some color to your yard.
• If you already have a garden but you feel like it’s lacking, it’s easy to add a little pizzazz. You can add another planting bed to create some contrast, add stone or concrete blocks to the edge of the flower bed, or plant some extra flowers of different sizes, colors, and textures to create a livelier look. No matter how you choose to upgrade your garden, it’s important to keep in mind that you want to choose things that will frame your home’s features instead of obscuring them. Just be careful to stick to your budget!

Your home’s curb appeal is important, but its also important to avoid picking form over function when it comes to your home. When unexpected emergencies arise and essential repairs are need, a personal loan could help.