Home in Need of Curb Appeal?
Spring has officially sprung in Charleston. The flowers are blooming, the smell of confederate jasmine is in the air, and the world is turning a little greener as trees and plants are getting ready for warmer weather. Now is the perfect time to do a little exterior facelift on your home to help increase its curb appeal. Although the old adage warns people not to judge a book by its cover, when it comes to shopping for real estate, the exterior of your home is a potential buyer’s first clue as to what the house looks like inside. Set the stage for a positive interaction by focusing on revamping your home’s curb appeal with these easy, budget-friendly tips!
Act Like A Buyer
Look at your home from the eyes of a prospective buyer. Walk around with a notepad and a pen and take note of what areas of the exterior of your home need to be refreshed, repaired, or replaced, and then address each one of those issues. Ask your real estate agent to look at it from his or her perspective to give you an idea of what someone who doesn’t have an emotional attachment to your home might think needs to be updated.
Give Your Home A Bath
Rather than invest in new siding or paying a hefty price tag to repaint the exterior walls of your home, consider renting a power washer to spray away built up dirt, mildew, and pollen. Pressure washing is a great, budget-friendly way to make your home look new again! You can pressure wash siding, screens, wooden decks, fencing, and even your driveway and sidewalk. Be sure to read all about the different nozzles and best practices for pressure washing to ensure you don’t use too strong of a spray!
Small Changes - Big Impact
A little minor landscaping can do wonders for increasing your home’s curb appeal. You can choose to hire someone or DIY to get the job done, although this might be a little more time intensive. Consider aerating your lawn and planting new grass, using an edger to define the beds in your yard and consider getting pine straw or mulch to help them stand out (pine straw tends to be the more cost-effective option), trim back your trees and/or bushes that may have gotten a little out of control, and make sure your lawn is nice and manicured.
Trim, Door, & Shutter Touch Ups
Rather than repainting your whole home, grab a small can of paint and touch up the trim to help brighten up your home. If you’re feeling really inspired, consider painting your front door or shutters a new color as well, which will help give your home a revitalized new look. Also be sure to restain your fencing to give it a quick refresh as well. A can of paint only costs about $30 on average, and between the prep work and other painting supplies, you can complete this task for under $100 and over the course of a weekend!
Take Your Mailbox Up A Level
Many people overlook a mailbox’s ability to give your home some much-needed curb appeal. Whether your mailbox is at the end of your driveway, or mounted near your front door, consider going for the upgraded model. Either option should only set you back $100 or so, and installation will only take a couple of hours.
Upgrade Your Lighting
From light fixtures to the bulbs themselves, odds are you haven’t done a revamp of your home’s exterior lighting in a while. Try to find fixtures that match the exterior look of your home, invest in brighter, energy-saving bulbs, and consider cleaning out any recessed lighting you may have outside. You can find light fixtures at big box stores, home improvement stores, and even thrift stores and garage sales.
Invest in Some Plants
It’s springtime, which means it’s the perfect time to do a little gardening! Many home improvement stores and pop-up flower shops are having sales right now, so you’ll want to get on this sooner rather than later. To get more bang for your buck, be sure to opt for plants that are perennials so you don’t have to replant them next year. Before you shop, consider where you think you might want to add some flowers, trees, or greenery in your yard, and how many plants you’ll ideally want to add. Once you choose your plants, be sure to pay attention to how large they will get in terms of both height and width before you plant them. You may also consider investing in some window boxes with flowers to help add a little color to your home! Set an alarm on your phone to remind yourself to water everything a couple of times a week, especially in the warmer months!
Numbers Don’t Lie…
There are a number (pun intended) of different options for you to refresh your home’s address number as it is displayed on your home’s facade. Consider upgrading the numbers themselves so that the font or design is a little more modern. Or, you can DIY some moss-covered numbers to give your home a greener vibe. DIY Network has a few great ideas on how you can DIY your house number design to really stand out!
Posted on Tuesday, May 15th, 2018 at 11:27am.