FIVE EASY WAYS TO CREATE DROOL-WORTHY CURB APPEAL

CLARA BEAUFORT

APRIL 3, 2020

Don’t wait until your house hits the market to worry about curb appeal. The best time to start upgrading your home’s curb appeal is as soon as you get the inkling to sell. With time on your side, you’ll be able to set the stage for a show-stopping landscape — and you don’t need a green thumb to do it! With these helpful tips, anyone can give their home a curb appeal makeover that’s sure to impress anyone who stops by.

GIVE YOUR FRONT PORCH A FRESH LOOK

The front porch is the first place eyes go when looking at your home, so make sure it leaves a good impression. A new front door, house numbers, and an updated light fixture can take an outdated entrance into the modern era while container plants add a quick pop of color to the porch. Tailor front porch decorations to the season, but keep holiday decor understated.

CLEAN UP YOUR LANDSCAPING

Are you having trouble putting your thumb on your front yard’s problem? It’s probably the shrubbery. It’s not obvious to the average person when trees and bushes are overgrown, but unruly shrubbery makes your home look unkempt. That’s especially true when bushes start overtaking doors, windows, and walkways.

Unless you have pruning experience, it’s best to hire professionals to maintain landscape plants. A garden service knows the best strategy for keeping landscape plants in good health as well as techniques for shaping. What’s more, a team of professionals can also identify problems contributing to a dead or patchy lawn.

REVITALIZE THE LAWN

If your lawn is compacted and patchy but not a total lost cause, work on revitalizing your turf rather than sinking money into new sod. You can hire a lawn service for this job or, if you prefer, rent lawn maintenance tools like power rakes and overseeders from your local Home Depot or other equipment rental resource. With the right tools, you can dethatch, aerate, and seed to have a beautiful lawn within a few weeks. Not sure which grass seed to buy? Try this guide for an introduction to your options.

POWER WASH IT CLEAN

Now that the landscape is in good order, turn your attention to the hardscaping. Driveways, decks, patios, and other exterior surfaces accumulate a lot of grime over the years. To get your hardscape looking like new, rent a pressure washer and spray it clean.

Pressure washers can be dangerous when used incorrectly, so take the right precautions, use the lowest pressure possible, and know what’s safe to pressure wash and what’s not. While most siding can be washed with low pressure, it’s easy to damage siding with a power washer. To play it safe, hire professionals or manually clean siding instead.

HIDE OUTDOOR CLUTTER

Your hard work won’t pay off if all buyers see when viewing your home are cars in the driveway and trash cans at the curb. Instead of storing these items in plain sight, look for ways to strategically hide outdoor items. Cars are easy (once you clean out the garage), but bulky trash cans pose a bigger challenge. Luckily, there are lots of creative ways to disguise trash cans while keeping them accessible, like wooden storage screens or a living hedge.

Don’t let curb appeal be an afterthought. Curb appeal is what grabs buyers’ attention and it’s an invaluable asset in a seller’s pocket. By getting a head start on your home’s curb appeal, you can ensure your landscape looks lush and inviting by the time it hits the market.