Top 5 Curb Appeal Improvement Tips to Make a Lasting First Impression

Whether you’re trying to sell your home or impress your neighbors, friends, and family, curb appeal really does matter. In fact, it matters so much that it has the ability to inspire prospective buyers to venture inside, or skip your home altogether. After all, it’s about the first impression the property leaves on the visitor. But beyond functional features that boost the value of the home such as a solar panel rooftop and the likes, future homeowners are primarily looking for that distinct homey vibe that emanates from a beautiful curb view. Between the basic repairs you can do around the house and the curb itself, as well as smaller projects such as giving your backyard a makeover and creating an inviting front lawn with some landscaping, there’s a lot you can do to make your property shine brighter than any other. Here are the curb appeal improvements for a lasting first impression.

It all begins with a thorough cleanup

First things first, you can’t hope to achieve the homey look and feel buyers want to see if the area around the house is messy. Luckily, warm and sunny weather creates the perfect backdrop for some well-deserved cleaning, so get your work gloves and your garbage bag. Firstly, be sure to pick up everything around the house, including garbage, fallen leaves and branches, wild shrubs and everything in between. Next, you want to venture all the way out to the sidewalk to see what needs fixing. Work your way in towards the property and note down everything from the potholes in the sidewalk, to the irregularities on the driveway, all the way to the fence and the house itself. Take the time to repair one problem at a time and leave nothing to chance.    

Adding a fresh coat of paint to the exterior

One of the more important repairs you can do over the weekend, a repair that can make all the difference, is giving your home’s exterior a fresh coat of paint. This is your opportunity to bring back the exterior to its former shining glory and tell the homebuyers that the house is ready for them to start the next chapter of their lives here. Unlike when you’re working with a mismatched color scheme in the interior, your exterior needs to enjoy a fresh look to give it that out-of-the-box feel. With that in mind, decide on a new solid hue that will give your home that gleaming, positive look. Luckily, almost every fresh coat of paint will produce this look, so you can choose everything from pure white with contrasting accents, to sunny yellow and even intimate crimson – the buyers are bound to love it.  

Invest in beautiful and functional landscaping

There is nothing that can elevate the aesthetic and monetary value of a property like beautiful and functional landscaping. This is one of the most important improvements you can make to your curb appeal, as modern homeowners are looking for those unique properties that break the barrier between the home and the great outdoors to create a perfect symbiosis of the elements. This is your opportunity to close the deal right off the bat. However, it’s not just about planting a few flower gardens around the house, it’s also about using beautiful decorative concrete to accentuate pathways and organize the surroundings, create focal points and frame the design of the home. Combining natural elements such as lush greenery, stone features, and floral arrangements will allow you to create an oasis-like vibe the buyer will not be able to resist. When installing supporting features and building outdoor elements, make sure to use sustainable materials.  

Use sustainable and low-maintenance materials

Sustainability is the hallmark of modern property design, and it’s something prospective homebuyers know how to appreciate. Not only do the interior and exterior spaces need to be sustainable in terms of energy and water consumption, but they should also boast recycled and reused materials to signify the property’s inextricable bond with nature. This also makes gardening on a budget a breeze, as you can use many discarded items to spruce up the front lawn and the backyard without spending a dime. Use reclaimed wood to fix or build new patios and social spaces around the property as well.  

Create social spaces around the house

Social spaces play a vital role in the look and feel of the property and its exterior. These areas are warm and inviting, and they help create an image of peace and serenity, which is exactly what a family is looking for. Simply build a cozy front porch seating area with sofas, coffee tables, and armchairs with chunky throws and accent pillows to achieve this effect. Spend a little extra for the backyard patio in order to create a more intimate oasis where people can spend quality time with family and friends.  

Final thoughts

First impressions matter most when you’re trying to sell a property, and even when you simply want to impress your friends and guests. It will be up to the curb appeal of your home to leave this positive impression, so make sure to use these tips to create a look people will fall in love at first sight.   About the author: Mike Johnston is an avid freelance writer and blogger from Sydney, Australia. He is a regular contributor to numerous blogs and online magazines, where he writes about interior design (his specialty!), travel, family, sustainable living and other related and unrelated topics. Mike’s goal is to create insightful and compelling content that will help readers navigate through these vast and ever-changing fields.