Curb Appeal for Your Home

When folks drive down your street, is it your house they notice? Or does your house blend in among the others, almost seeming invisible in the streetscape? Tons of shows on television demonstrate how to give your home that extra curb-appealing pizzazz… so what are a few tricks of the trade to make your home the envy of the Joneses? If you have lots of money to spend, you can hire landscaping and decorating experts to transform the exterior of your home, but it’s easy enough to accomplish an impressive level of transformation on your own.

Fresh Coat of Paint

Painting your entire house is a daunting and costly proposition. If it hasn’t been too long since your house was painted, sometimes you can get away with painting a few small elements of the house, like the front door, window trim and shutters. Just giving a fresh coat of paint to some of your home’s key parts can be enough to make the whole place seem refreshed.

The Details

Exchanging some small details of your home’s exterior dÃ?©cor can make a big difference to its appearance from the road. A new mailbox with some Black-Eyed Susans planted around it, a new matching brass door knocker and kick plate or a matching set of lace curtains in all the front windows are inexpensive ways to make a big impact.

Flowers

Nothing adds interest to the front of a home than a gorgeous garden. If you don’t have the time or patience for an entire blossoming landscape, just add a few containers of colorful plants (geraniums, petunias or impatiens are great for instant color) near the front door that will complement the paint scheme of your home.

Sit a Spell

Another excellent way to add a dash of visual appeal to the front of your home is a cozy place to sit. Whether it’s a pair of rockers, a wicker porch swing or an iron garden set, guests will see the seating place as an element of invitation and welcome.

Whether you are selling your home, entertaining friends and family, or just want to achieve the warm feeling of an inviting home for your own enjoyment, polishing your home’s curb appeal may be just what you need. The first thing to do is walk out to the street and take a long look at your house. Bring a notebook. What elements seem tired or in need of replacement? Getting your vision onto paper is going to be a great start for the renaissance of your home’s exterior.

Take that, Joneses!

Read more Home Improvement articles by Mary McCarthy.