Curb Appeal On a Budget: How to Improve Your Home’s Exterior

 

According to the National Association of Realtors, 97% of homebuyers find that curb appeal is extremely important when purchasing a house. Whether you are looking to sell your home or even just clean it up for your own enjoyment, fixing up your curb appeal on a budget will help you do both. The front of your house is the first impression and the determining factor whether people will want to even go inside to look further, or bypass your house and check out another real estate property. The problem is, if you are on a budget, how can you update your curb appeal without emptying your bank account? Thankfully, there are dozens of easy and inexpensive changes you can make to the front of a house to make it feel more inviting and raise the chances of it selling much faster. Keep on reading to learn more about increasing curb appeal on a budget!   Paint Your Front Door Your door is the portal to the world that is your home, it speaks millions for what the inside of the house will entail, so cleaning up the entrance will update the image of your house. Professional home stagers always suggest starting with your front door. You can paint it a plain white or cream color, or you can go bolder and paint your door red. Other great colors are royal blue, yellow, or even black. If you do not want to paint your door, make sure it is at least cleaned up. Scrub away any stains and touch up any spots that need some color.   Add a Welcoming Door Mat A cheerful doormat will offer a friendly greeting to visitors and potential homebuyers. Make sure it is something that the general population will enjoy and not something that is just specific to you. This ensures that homebuyers will be able to picture themselves in the house as well. Find a mat with a welcoming greeting, or something with a nice picture such as a sun, or a neat design.   Install a New Door Knob If your doorknob is outdated, swap it out for a newer one to freshen up the entrance of your home. There are a plethora of new and innovative door knobs that you could get, such as some that unlock with a code, or just a simple knob with a neat design.   Upgrade Your Address Numbers Something that is usually overlooked by most home sellers is the fact that their house numbers look a bit worn or outdated. Swap them out for some newer, cleaner, and modern looking numbers. Make sure they are not too “busy” looking and that they match the theme of your house. A simple, easy to read font is optimal for most home buyers.   Add Some Lighting  Lighting is absolutely essential for the front of your house, and for many reasons. Not only does it provide a sense of safety and security, but it also lights up the front of your house at night, making it look appealing even in the dark.   Porch Lighting Either clean up the porch lighting that you already have or find a new one that matches your house. Most Porch lights range from $50 to $200, keep in mind that more expensive doesn’t always mean that it will be better.   Walkway Lighting Lighting up the entrance to your house makes it feel like a magical walkway at night time, find some inexpensive ground lights and install them yourself.   Driveway Lighting Driveway lights allow for guests to park easily, as well as safely walking around cars at night in your driveway.   Garden Lights Garden lights can turn your house from seeming like a regular home to a beautiful fairy-tale like entrance. You can find some solar-paneled garden lights for cheap, and they make a big difference in your curb appeal.   Pressure wash the Entrance Over time, moss and mold start to grow along cracks in your driveway and along the sides of your home. This makes your house appear dirty and unappealing, which is a big deterrent for potential buyers. There are many pressure washing benefits for cleaning up and improving your curb appeal on a budget. You will be amazed by the difference when you are finished. You can pressure wash bricks, driveways, wood decking, stucco, concrete, windows, grills, metal, vinyl, and more.   DIY Flower Pots Adding some flowers to the entrance of your home will make it feel more alive and add some beautiful touches of color. There are many ideas on Pinterest for making your own flower pots, or you can purchase some second hand at a local garage sale. Add some flowers that are easy to maintain and add some vibrant colors to the entrance of your house. Geraniums, lilies, hydrangeas, lavender, and even some herbs add a nice touch to the entrance.   Architectural Additions You do not need to be an architect to know how to spice up the front of your house, just think outside the box and get a little creative. Some easy architectural additions are:

• Paint your shutters
• Paint your front steps to look like a faux stair runner
• Add some window boxes
• Decorative molding
• Decorative brackets
• Stain your garage door

Check out your local flea market for little additions you can add to the front of your house, there are always so much to choose from and all for so cheap! Learn More About Updating Your Curb Appeal on a Budget.  There are many ways to update your curb appeal on a budget, all you have to do is get creative and change up little things to affect the ambiance of your house. Article submitted by Yasin Butt.