With the surge in home prices and the low supply of homes across the country, it is safe to say that you can ask top dollar for your home if you’re considering a sale.
However, just because the demand is high doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to increase the value of your home by adding curb appeal for cheap. While some projects are more affordable than others, adding curb appeal to your home can be beneficial in many ways.
Today, we will share with you the best curb appeal ideas to remember when looking to add value to your home or make it the best looking on the street! But first, what is curb appeal anyway?
First, what is Curb Appeal?
Curb appeal is what is referred to as the first impression by others when they see your home! Put another way, what type of appeal does your home offer from someone standing on the curb?
Curb appeal generally refers to things like your lawn, landscaping, and home exterior! Aesthetics matter when you are selling, looking to maintain your home’s value, and updating it.
The street view of your home will often indicate what to expect when you look on the inside!\
14 Curb Appeal Ideas to Seriously Consider
Below you will find a quick list of everyday items used to spruce up the exterior of your home while adding that coveted curb appeal!
1. Fix that lawn!
Perhaps the first and most crucial step in adding curb appeal is ensuring your home’s lawn looks great. While this is sometimes easier said than done, a lush green lawn is one way to make your home stand out. However, this might mean you must use a few of your weekends to get it in tip-top shape!
Follow these simple steps to make your lawn look great:
- Step 1: Be sure to keep grass 3.5-4 inches long to keep it greener in the summer
- Step 2: Water one time a week for about an hour to encourage stronger root growth
- Step 3: Use a pre-emergent and post-emergent weed control in the spring
- Step 4: Be sure to aerate and overseed in the fall
2. Make your door pop!
Simply adjusting the color of your front door or even replacing an old door is an effective way to increase your home’s curb appeal. You can paint your door for under $45 or even have someone else do it for under $100.
If it is time to update and replace your door, always check with your HOA for painting and door replacement guidelines! Also, check out #4 below for adding door appeal!
3. Consider updating siding & gutters
Depending on the age of your home, you might want to consider addressing the siding and gutters seriously.
With so many new technologies, such as fiber-cement siding and alternative siding, you can easily add more color and durability to your home. While replacing your siding is a little pricey, if your home is approaching that 25-year-plus mark, it might be time to consider remodeling to update the exterior seriously.
The cool thing about gutters is that they come in countless colors, and you can estimate them online. Out of all the possible exterior remodeling updates – gutters, siding, windows, doors, and roofing – gutters are the least expensive. You can re-gutter your home for under $1,200 on average.
The trend right now is a blue or white siding with black gutters!
4. Add some door & window decor
Adding a few garden boxes to your windows if you live in a condo or townhome is a cheap way to add color to the outside of your home, thus creating some more aesthetics. Additionally, you can make or find cheap wreaths for each season or door decorations to hang on your front door.
With so many holidays and seasons, decorating your doors and windows is a simple way to spruce up the front of your home.
5. Remove overgrown trees & bushes
Overgrown trees and bushes don’t add to your home’s appeal. They take from it. Whether you trim down your trees and bushes or remove them, opening up the front of your home will give your home more appeal. Like the trends inside your home that change, landscaping styles do, too. Be sure to stay with the trends and keep your plants trimmed or take them out!
6. Don’t be afraid to paint!
Anything you can paint on the outside of your home is a simple way to add some street appeal to your home. Whether you repent the fascia boards, trim around your windows/doors, or, as we stated, the doors themselves – you can add immediate appeal with a few paint strokes.
As a general rule of thumb, a fresh coat of paint on the trim is a good idea for any home over ten years old. If your home is under ten years old, check out numbers eight and nine below!
7. Replace your windows.
On the list of curb appeal ideas, perhaps replacing your windows is the most expensive option. The reason is often, window replacement isn’t covered by insurance (unlike a roof) and is more of a cosmetic upgrade. However, just because it is expensive doesn’t mean upgrading your windows isn’t smart.
Pros to replacing your windows include increasing your home’s energy efficiency, updating the window styles, and adding tons of flare as far as curb appeal goes! New window colors, frames, and styles are expensive but worth considering!
8. Spray paint your shutters!
You can spray-paint your shutters, and it is a quick way to add curb appeal and one of the cheapest options! Buying spray paint isn’t expensive, and you can add some flare to the outside of your home by spicing up your shutter colors!
Be sure to remove your shutters and add 1-2 coats of spray paint to each shutter. Once they are fully dry, put them back in your house! If you ever watch the hit HGTV show Good Bones, they often use spray paint to make the shutters look updated!
9. Pressure wash the outside of your home
You keep the inside of your home clean by vacuuming, dusting, mopping, and even going as far as shampooing your carpets. So why don’t we always keep the outside of our home clean?
Pressure washing the exterior of your home is something you can do yourself or hire a contractor, but it is vital to complete every few years. Mold, algae, grime, and organic buildup can appear on your walkways, driveway, siding, roof, and windows. Depending on the size of your home, you can pressure wash your home in just a few hours. Be sure always to know the following things first:
- Never pressure wash your shingle roof.
- Know the proper PSI per surface type to prevent any damage
- Do your research before ever renting a pressure washer
10. Update your outdoor light fixtures
If you don’t have the money to get new siding, replace all your landscaping, or the time to paint your door – you can consider updating your outdated outdoor light fixtures. Outdoor light fixtures are easy to replace, and simply updating them can quickly add some curb appeal.
11. Ask insurance about your roof!
One of the most common homeowners insurance claims is roof claims when storms impact shingles. Knowing this, simply having your roof inspected might mean you can get it replaced for filing a claim.
Now, you might be wondering why this is advantageous. For starters, a new roof typically has one of the highest returns on investments, but new shingle styles look great. There are more color options and styles to choose from than ever before.
12. Complete the minor to-do list
Right now, I aim to touch up the trim around my front door, pull the weeds in my yard, paint my shutters, and fix one screen on a window.
This simple to-do list is nagging, but it is necessary when enhancing the outside of your home. Whether it is replacing lights, making those minor tweaks, or just moving some things elsewhere – go ahead and set out to complete your to-do list one weekend!
13. Add some color to your landscaping
Adding color to your landscaping with the help of some perennials is a cheap way to make your yard pop. The flowers you decide to use will mostly depend on a few factors:
- Where you live
- The season
- Climate and weather conditions
14. Declutter the outside of your home
A simple and effective way to add curb appeal that costs $0 is to make sure your home and yard are decluttered. Consider these easy and quick ideas:
- Keep trashcans on the side of your home or in a garage
- Kid’s toys and bikes should be in your garage or the backyard
- Old cars, boats, and other vehicles can be stored elsewhere
- Garden and landscaping tools shouldn’t be in the front of your house
- Take everything that is clutter off your porch
- Be sure your windows are clear for viewing and not blocked by boxes on the inside of your home
Not only will these ideas save you money, but they will also add value to your home simply because of a cleaner, less cluttered appearance!
The Verdict –
The process of adding curb appeal is simple – do it! First, consider selecting one or two from this list, implementing the strategy, and then picking another. For example, perhaps you can start by:
- Fixing landscaping
- Painting your front door
- Getting a quote on your siding or roof
Tackle all the free curb appeal ideas first, followed by pricing out the others. Set a goal to do one or two curb appeal projects per year (one in the spring, one in the fall), and you will create a habit of continually adding curb appeal to your home.
That is much easier than waiting to sell and trying to do everything simultaneously. Trust me on this one!
Curb Appeal FAQ:
Does adding curb appeal have to cost money?
No! You don’t have to spend a fortune adding curb appeal to your home. There are free ways to add curb appeal, including mowing your grass, trimming your bushes, cleaning out your mulch bed, spray painting your shutters, washing your home, and trimming back your trees! Anything else you can paint/clean will help, too!
Can you charge people for curb appeal?
If you own a landscaping or exterior remodeling company or even want to do curb appeal for others as a side hustle. In that case, you can charge money for your services. One of the best side hustles is landscaping. Adding curb appeal through landscaping is often the cheapest service homeowners choose, too!
This post originally appeared on Your Money Geek.
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