8 curb appeal tricks that will bring buyers to your house

After investing a considerable amount of money in your home, you certainly want it to always look its best. This is especially the case if you’re thinking about putting your house up for sale. Curb appeal is crucial when it comes to conveying a sense of taste and style for your home and is conducive to supporting a more premium price tag.

There are eight exterior home improvement tactics that you need to seriously consider to enhance the curb appeal of your home. Many of the strategies presented here can be undertaken as relatively easy do-it-yourself projects. Others can be accomplished with professional assistance in a short amount of time and within a reasonable budget.

Two wooden blue, one dark blue, one light blue, Georgian style font doors to homes, against a white wall at the top of steps with metal banisters and windows at the top.
Improve the Entryway When it comes to curb appeal, many people focus on the entryway. The reality is that potential buyers visiting your home will spend more time at your entryway than anywhere else at the front of your residence. If the door or anything else at the entryway is in disrepair or worn, the time may have come to replace the front door — and make the fix soon. At a minimum, you’ll want to consider giving the entryway to your home, including the door, a fresh coat of paint. If you want to change the look of your exterior, merely changing the color of your front door can be enough of an alteration to result in your house’s facade having a whole new look. You also want to add a few other attractive touches to your entryway or front porch. Depending on the size, add a couple of well-crafted chairs and a complementary table. Small additions including a wreath or potted plant are also smart and understated options. When sprucing up the porch and entryway, keep in mind that this is the passage point between the outdoors and the heart of your home. Make certain that your entryway selections harmonize with what you have done with your interior decor as well. (Getty Images)
Decorative Small Solar Garden Light, Lanterns In Flower Bed In Green Foliage. Garden Design. Solar Powered Lamps In Row
Install Landscape Lighting If you’re like most homeowners, you’ve spent at least some time and money on landscaping for the front of your house. You may be interested in making at least some landscaping-related improvements. One of the simplest and most impactful steps you can take is to install landscape lighting. Landscape lighting offers you a wide array of placement options: Elect to install lighting that will highlight trees on the premises, illuminate a walkway or light up the exterior of the house itself. You can elect to have landscaped lighting hardwired. This may constrain your efforts to some degree, but taking this route ensures steadier and more reliable illumination. The alternative is to install either battery-powered or solar-powered lights. With either, you have more flexibility as to where and how you install landscape lighting on your property. However, be mindful that the lights have a consistent power source. A missing or broken light within a series of lights can really stand out, and not in a flattering way. (Getty Images)
electrician installing lamp on house facade on sunny summer day
Add Security Lighting The addition of security lighting at your residence can enhance curb appeal in a practical way. In this day and age, people are becoming more security conscious. Consider placing lighting around the perimeter of your residence itself, adding floodlights or spotlights at key locations around the property including walkways and entry points, and schedule them to turn on and off at specific times or by motion detection. Security cameras have become relatively affordable and are a worthwhile investment to provide comprehensive monitoring of the home, even remotely, and deter unwanted intruders. Although many of the newer models have night vision capabilities, it would be ideal to install these within proximity of the lighting coverage. (Getty Images)
The Maryland Court of Special Appeals on Thursday sided with Montgomery County, Maryland, and its 2015 law banning the use of pesticides on lawns, reversing a 2017 circuit court ruling struck down the measure after a lawsuit. (Getty Images/iStockphoto/ozgurcoskun)
Add Easy Landscaping While on the subject of landscaping, perhaps the front of your house is a bit lacking when it comes to foliage. You can go the container garden route to increase and coordinate the placement of vegetation around the front of your home. The local garden store will most likely have an array of different types of containers that you can mix and match to create a beautiful presentation around the exterior of your home. In most cases, an asymmetrical and staggered approach to placement results in a stunning, vibrant look. In addition, adding landscaping in this manner represents another curb appeal enhancement strategy and can be undertaken as a DIY project. (Getty Images)
Green US post mail letter box with red flag raised up
Make Over the Mailbox If your mailbox is at the curb of your residence itself, take action to enhance curb appeal by giving the mailbox box a makeover. A mailbox project can have an understated, positive impact on the look and appeal of the front of your home. The options available to you in regard to making over your mailbox can be as simple as replacing the box itself. There are plenty of fun and stylish options available at most home improvement centers like Home Depot or Lowe’s. You can also consider having a mailbox custom designed to be a replica of your house. Another step you can take to enhance the appearance of your mailbox and your home is to plant a small garden around the post, transforming the mailbox into a pleasing anchor to a garden that can feature vibrant flowers. (Getty Images)
Green, elegant window box with blue Hydrangea. Matching green shutter, red brick wall
Install Window Boxes If your overall residential design harmonizes with the addition of window boxes, consider installing some to complement the front windows of your home. With window boxes, you are able to present different types of plants on a seasonal basis, adding an eye-catching vibrancy to the property from the street. (Getty Images)
Old colonial window with shutters on historic brick building
Install Shutters In the same vein as window boxes, if you have a residence with a style that harmonizes with shutters, consider adding them as a means of enhancing the curb appeal of your home. There is a wide variety of different types of shutters and designs you can typically find at your local home improvement center. In addition, if you’re so inclined, you can even have shutters custom made and installed for your home that use sophisticated, automated mechanisms. (Getty Images)
Repair of a building
Refresh Painting, Siding and Trim An exterior home improvement tactic that applies to many houses is refreshing paint, siding and trim. Especially if you’re planning to put your house on the market and haven’t updated the exterior paint or repaired siding in a while, taking the time for these projects — which may require a professional to make sure it’s done right — is a must. If you’re interested in making a more noticeable change to the look of your home, pick a different color for the exterior of the house, changing the siding or do something more subtle, like altering trim color. (Getty Images)
(1/8)
Two wooden blue, one dark blue, one light blue, Georgian style font doors to homes, against a white wall at the top of steps with metal banisters and windows at the top.
Decorative Small Solar Garden Light, Lanterns In Flower Bed In Green Foliage. Garden Design. Solar Powered Lamps In Row
electrician installing lamp on house facade on sunny summer day
The Maryland Court of Special Appeals on Thursday sided with Montgomery County, Maryland, and its 2015 law banning the use of pesticides on lawns, reversing a 2017 circuit court ruling struck down the measure after a lawsuit. (Getty Images/iStockphoto/ozgurcoskun)
Green US post mail letter box with red flag raised up
Green, elegant window box with blue Hydrangea. Matching green shutter, red brick wall
Old colonial window with shutters on historic brick building
Repair of a building

[See: 7 Tips for Updating Your House in an Up-and-Coming Neighborhood.]

[Read: 6 Tips for Properly Caring for Your New Construction Home.]

[Read: Can Your HOA Regulate Your Holiday Decor?]

More from U.S. News

9 Items to Never Leave Outside Your House

8 Things You Shouldn’t Keep in Your Basement or Garage

Why You Should Rethink Your Kitchen or Bathroom Remodel

8 Curb Appeal Tricks That Will Bring Buyers to Your House originally appeared on usnews.com

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up