How To Increase Your Home's Curb Appeal

Posted by EdmontonRealEstate .ca on Friday, January 25th, 2019 at 2:32pm.

Take These 6 Steps to Improve a Home's Curb AppealIt's safe to say that a home's curb appeal is one of the best ways that it makes a good first impression. Without careful and objective attention to the exterior of a home, a home seller could be missing out on potential home buyers that might otherwise love the layout and features. Getting those home buyers into the house to tour it is more easily accomplished by increasing its curb appeal.

Remove Clutter From the Front Yard

Store away or donate unused toys, old outdoor furniture and any other items that make the yard look cluttered and unmaintained. Trim trees and bushes so they look neat and orderly. Make sure the lawn is cut regularly the entire time the home is on the market. Taking steps to clean up the home space by space can go a long way in making it seem more polished and put together.

Clean Up Your Yard, Sidewalk, and Paint

If the home's paint is looking dirty and disheveled, it might just need a power wash. Take this time to power wash the roof, fence and garage as well. Wash the windows—inside and out—and clean out the gutters. If it's been more than a few years since the home's exterior has been painted, it's a good idea to invest in some before putting the house on the market.

Make the Front Entryway Welcoming

Make sure the entryway is warm, cozy and inviting. Clear away any cobwebs, stray toys or worn out furniture. Add lights to the porch to help with illumination as well as to make the home appear more welcoming. Clear away any debris from the sidewalk leading up to the home and repair any broken or loose steps.

Focus on the Front Door

The front door of a home should also make anyone who approaches it feel welcomed and happy to be there. Repaint it with a fresh coat of blue or red paint to make it stand out from the neighbouring homes. Replace the hardware with a shiny new lock, knocker and door handle, and make other various upgrades to give your home an advantage in the market, especially in competitive markets like Crestwood.

Add Lots of Light

While making a home look inviting during the day is vitally important to help it sell, equally important is the way it looks at night, and the way to make sure the home shines at night is with strategic lighting choices. Many people who are in the market for a home visit the neighbourhoods of those homes they are interested in during the day and at night. It's a good way to get to know the type of area a home is located in prior to buying a home there.

One way to improve the curb appeal of a home at night is to line the sidewalk with equally-spaced solar lights. Not only do they look charming, they don't use any electricity and make the home look welcoming.

Can Painting Your Front Door Add Curb Appeal?

Whether you're trying to sell your home or you just want to make it look welcoming, painting the front door is one great way to add curb appeal. This is an easy way to add brightness or a complimenting color to make your house stand out. Here are a few things to consider if you decide to paint the front door.

Replace The Door If Necessary

Sometimes, you don't just need to paint the door, but also replace it. This is very necessary when rotting is present or when the door doesn't seal properly.

Choose The Right Colour

The right colour makes a huge difference for your front door. There are many colours to choose from and the wrong one could add the wrong type of curb appeal to your home.

You may want to coordinate the colour with your shutters or other home accent colours. By doing this, you can actually highlight these sections of your home and make it stand out a little bit more. Be careful with the colour you choose.

Pay Attention to the Sun

The sun makes a huge difference with the colour you choose. Under direct sunlight, the same colour you may use inside could look very different outside. You want to test colours for the door during direct sunlight to make sure you will still like the colour you choose after the door is painted.

Choose Excellent Paint

The right paint will make a huge difference, too. Some types of paint will last much longer on your door than others. You want to choose the right type of paint for the job, so that it will last.

Choosing a high gloss paint may show more of the bumps and imperfections of the door, while a matte or low lustre paint may help to hide these. You will also want to personalize the paint to your specific tastes, especially if you're not selling your home.

Painting your front door can bring curb appeal to your home. Just make sure you choose the right colour and paint to match your house perfectly.

Don't Forget the Backyard

Even if a home's front yard is the only part of the property that's visible from the road, it's a good idea for a homeowner to pay just as much attention to the backyard as they do to the front. Many homeowners opt for the simple route and remove clutter, power wash the deck and keep the backyard well landscaped.

Investing in a few hours of planning and work can pay back in dividends in terms of how quickly a home sells. The six steps above add instant curb appeal to any home and should be completed before it's put on the market.

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