First impressions matter. This fact is doubly true when it comes to real estate. Upgrading the exterior of your home, even on a relatively low budget, can not only improve its looks, but its overall value as well.
Many people view their homes practically and how it can serve their daily living. A historic home radiates character and charm over mass-built, cookie-cutter homes that were built in the post-war 1950s and 1960s in response to the urgent need for housing. Older homes aren’t the only properties that sometimes need a “facelift”. Newer homes can also sometimes need tweaking to make them stand out.
Whatever budget you are working with, there are six main ways you can improve your home’s exterior without breaking the bank.
Clean Out Your Gutters and Window Wells
The windows are the eyes of the home. If you change them, you can drastically change the way your home looks on the outside. Throughout the years, your house’s gutters and window wells will likely have accumulated various bits of debris such as: leaves, petals, and seeds.
Clearing this debris will not only keep rainwater draining properly and away from your home’s foundation; it can also help you identify if any bird or animal has made your gutters their home. While you’re out checking your gutters, you may also want to give an overall general cleaning to your windows. This will brighten up your home and make sure more light enters your home.
Landscape
Curb appeal starts with your lawn. If the overall condition of your grass, landscaping and foliage looks neglected, it stands to reason that potential buyers would assume that the inside of the home isn’t well-kept as well. Quality landscaping can dramatically change the picture of your home, but it doesn’t have to be complex or very expensive. Your landscaping just needs to be visually interesting, well thought out and cohesive.
The first thing you should focus on is making sure your grass is lush and green. If you notice any patchy parts, try seeding your lawn or consider adding sod. Remove any weeds or dying plants and add mulch to your property. Even adding just a few planters and fresh flowers can help brighten up your home and make it seem more inviting.
Update Your Front Door
You may not realize it, but simply updating your front door can help make your home pop. A bold and bright colored front door can help make your house look extra special and eye-catching. The best part about enhancing your front door? It’s a pretty quick job. Whether you’re painting your door or replacing it with a completely new one, it can usually be completed in a day.
Adding new house numbers can also make your home more appealing. Not only do they make your home easy to locate, they can also add extra focus to your front door. House numbers now come in a variety of materials, colors, and styles. Just be sure to make sure your house number material compliments your front door hardware so that the style doesn’t clash.
Tidy Up Your Driveway
Your driveway usually gets a lot of use and abuse from natural elements. Don’t neglect this important exterior area of your home. Driveways naturally crack and get dirty over time. You don’t have to reseal or entirely replace your driveway to make it look a lot better, however. Pressure wash your driveway to get it sparkly clean, remove any weeds and address any cracks. Not only will this increase the functionality of your driveway, it will also increase the value of your home.
Outdoor Lighting
Just like investing in better lighting inside your home can increase the value of your property, so can upgrading the lighting on the outside of your home. Having new lighting outside can make your home feel safe and inviting to people.
You can add outdoor flush mounts or recessed lighting to your entryway to make sure it is bright and easy to navigate. If you have a patio or porch, you can add lights or a ceiling fan to open up the space and keep it cool at the same time.
Hide Anything Unpleasant
Garbage bins, lawnmowers, and rakes are necessary to make sure your house is maintained, but nobody wants to see these items lying around cluttering the exterior of the home. Anytime you can camouflage or mask anything unsightly, it will improve the value of your home. Why not paint or put fencing around air conditioners or electric boxes?
Are you looking to sell your home soon? Try listing your property on a flat fee MLS in Florida to make sure it sells quickly and easily.