Curb Appeal
By: Amanda Campbell
Updated: November 22, 2010
Obviously, green grass will help you sell your house, but there’s a lot more to making your house appealing to the eye than a lush lawn. We’re talking about “curb appeal” – that’s the term realtors use to describe the overall impression your house makes when it’s viewed from the curb. There are a lot of things to consider when you’re trying to increase your curb appeal – some things you can do immediately, and some you can do over time.
What can you do to add curb appeal right away? First, let’s look at the obvious things. Of course, you want to keep your lawn neat and trimmed. The same is true for any hedges or foliage. Curb appeal can literally mean everything from the curb to your front door, so is the curb in front of your house clean? Are the street gutters free of debris? What about the sidewalk?
Do you have a plain old tin mailbox leaning on a shaky post? Think about encasing it in brick or giving it some other kind of customized treatment.
Now let’s look at the lawn. Some older houses in established neighborhoods are fronted by beautiful foliage or landscaping that certainly adds to the appeal of a home. But you may live in a brand new house in a brand new neighborhood where the trees and foliage haven’t had time to mature, or maybe your yard is completely barren of trees and hedges. For a short-term solution, you can purchase mature trees or landscaping and plant now. For a long-term plan that will cost you less up front, buy some saplings, and plant them now so they’ll grow over time.
Maybe it’s best for your budget to add foliage to your lawn incrementally, so your curb appeal grows as your family grows. We featured a house in our segment that displayed some extensive landscaping work that looks like it was added in this manner. Consider spending $50 to add appeal to your landscaping every time you make a mortgage payment; that improvement will show up steadily over a few years without causing a major financial drain at any given moment. Think ahead to how you’d like your house to look in ten years, and plant now. Just make sure you space things far enough apart so they have room to grow.
Now let’s look at the house itself. The front door makes a strong first impression. Replacing a front door can add instant luster,but it may be too costly for you right now, so you might want to make improvements over time. Add a brass handle or brass fixtures; maybe paint or stain the door with a color that will make it stand out from the rest of the house. And what about your windows? Adding attractive drapes or otherwise enhancing your window treatment can only add to the appeal of your house.
Basic maintenance and upkeep can add a lot to the “drive-up appeal” of your home. Trim the hedges every time you mow the lawn. Clear off cobwebs from windows and exterior light fixtures. Touch up areas that need a new coat of paint when the weather fades or cracks the existing paint job. Take care of needed maintenance now so the house doesn’t fall into disrepair as repair jobs stack up over time.
Use foliage and shrubbery to hide any unattractive aspects of your house or surroundings. In our segment, we featured a house with a long, boring, solid wall of brick running down the side of the house. The homeowners planted a tall shrub that hid that wall from view. The shrub serves as a framing device, which adds appeal and hides a less attractive view of the house at the same time. They did the same on the opposite side of the house. Their property adjoins a gully. They hid the gully from view with a wall of hedges, designed like a natural fence. This adds beauty to the street view and totally obscures the barren property next door.
Whatever time and expense you invest in your house now will only add to the potential resale value when you decide to sell. A potential buyer who sees an appealing, well-maintained exterior may feel comfort and confidence that the entire house has been well maintained inside and out. So think about curb appeal as an ongoing consideration. You can do things right now that will instantly increase the curb appeal of your house, and you can do things now that will eventually add appeal over time. You can spend a lot of money quickly or you can spend a little now, and a little more later – either way, a dedicated and determined effort will consistently enhance the appeal of your house for yourself and any potential buyer.
What can you do to add curb appeal right away? First, let’s look at the obvious things. Of course, you want to keep your lawn neat and trimmed. The same is true for any hedges or foliage. Curb appeal can literally mean everything from the curb to your front door, so is the curb in front of your house clean? Are the street gutters free of debris? What about the sidewalk?
Do you have a plain old tin mailbox leaning on a shaky post? Think about encasing it in brick or giving it some other kind of customized treatment.
Now let’s look at the lawn. Some older houses in established neighborhoods are fronted by beautiful foliage or landscaping that certainly adds to the appeal of a home. But you may live in a brand new house in a brand new neighborhood where the trees and foliage haven’t had time to mature, or maybe your yard is completely barren of trees and hedges. For a short-term solution, you can purchase mature trees or landscaping and plant now. For a long-term plan that will cost you less up front, buy some saplings, and plant them now so they’ll grow over time.
Maybe it’s best for your budget to add foliage to your lawn incrementally, so your curb appeal grows as your family grows. We featured a house in our segment that displayed some extensive landscaping work that looks like it was added in this manner. Consider spending $50 to add appeal to your landscaping every time you make a mortgage payment; that improvement will show up steadily over a few years without causing a major financial drain at any given moment. Think ahead to how you’d like your house to look in ten years, and plant now. Just make sure you space things far enough apart so they have room to grow.
Now let’s look at the house itself. The front door makes a strong first impression. Replacing a front door can add instant luster,but it may be too costly for you right now, so you might want to make improvements over time. Add a brass handle or brass fixtures; maybe paint or stain the door with a color that will make it stand out from the rest of the house. And what about your windows? Adding attractive drapes or otherwise enhancing your window treatment can only add to the appeal of your house.
Basic maintenance and upkeep can add a lot to the “drive-up appeal” of your home. Trim the hedges every time you mow the lawn. Clear off cobwebs from windows and exterior light fixtures. Touch up areas that need a new coat of paint when the weather fades or cracks the existing paint job. Take care of needed maintenance now so the house doesn’t fall into disrepair as repair jobs stack up over time.
Use foliage and shrubbery to hide any unattractive aspects of your house or surroundings. In our segment, we featured a house with a long, boring, solid wall of brick running down the side of the house. The homeowners planted a tall shrub that hid that wall from view. The shrub serves as a framing device, which adds appeal and hides a less attractive view of the house at the same time. They did the same on the opposite side of the house. Their property adjoins a gully. They hid the gully from view with a wall of hedges, designed like a natural fence. This adds beauty to the street view and totally obscures the barren property next door.
Whatever time and expense you invest in your house now will only add to the potential resale value when you decide to sell. A potential buyer who sees an appealing, well-maintained exterior may feel comfort and confidence that the entire house has been well maintained inside and out. So think about curb appeal as an ongoing consideration. You can do things right now that will instantly increase the curb appeal of your house, and you can do things now that will eventually add appeal over time. You can spend a lot of money quickly or you can spend a little now, and a little more later – either way, a dedicated and determined effort will consistently enhance the appeal of your house for yourself and any potential buyer.
