Our Best Curb Appeal Ideas: A Checklist

How attractive does your home look from the curb?

The exterior of your home and your property is not only the first thing a buyer sees but the first thing your guest sees when they arrive to your home. If you’re selling your home curb appeal counts.

When people arrive they want to feel secure and welcomed. Having great curb appeal is like putting your best foot forward.

How does your home add up? Is it charming and welcoming, or is it looking tired and sad?

Head out to your curb – and evaluate your home’s curb appeal with our checklist of 5 key areas that will give it a boost.

Night-Time Lighting:

Don’t assume that buyers will only see your home during the day. Savvy buyers will be scoping out the neighbourhood including a night-time pass-by. Showcase your home and boost your curb appeal by highlighting your homes features.

Good lighting not only improves security, but lights the lead to your entrance way protect your guests and say ‘welcome to my home’.

Solar lighting is a wonderful option and means no extension cords or electrical cables. The fact that they are easy to install is a huge boost. Most solar lighting has a run-time of 6 hours.

Don’t be Colour Shy:

A splash of colour can go a long way to making your home stand out. From painting the front door a bright red or funky lime green to playing up the front porch with colourful chairs and planters.

The trick to adding colour though is to keep the overall color scheme simple and crisp. Fortunately, most paint companies provide colour palettes identifying the colour choices for the frames, windows, siding and doors.

Entrance-Ways:

In most entrance ways a few larger elements generally work better than lots of smaller, fussier details. Modern planters, combined with a bold light fixture and brightly coloured door may just do the trick.

Sometimes changing the front door is all it takes. Or a fresh coat of paint with an accented colour. However, if you are updating the front door don’t forget about the door handles to knockers.

Obviously you know you’re house number, but others don’t. Is it easily visible? Home numbers, raised numbers in a clean sans serf font work best.

If you have an exterior mailbox and it’s seen better days, replace it. But stay consistent with the look and feel of the rest of the entrance way.

The Garage Door & the Driveway:

Believe it or not, your garage door has a huge impact on curb appeal. That’s not surprising considering how much of the over-all look is taken up by the garage. A new garage door can be a sizeable investment, but will go a long way towards making your home standout in the neighbourhood.

And the driveway? Does it need updating? Or simply a new black top? At minimum, keep the edges between the lawn and the driveway and curb clean and tidy.

Landscaping and Fencing:

Low-maintenance landscaping is always optimal. One can never go wrong with ornamental grasses combined with bright annuals. Getting professional help from your local nursery or investing in a landscaper will give you a great start and in the end may save you a few dollars particularly with difficult landscapes.

Not every house has fencing, but if it’s surrounding your home, it’s essential to ensure that it’s well maintained and painted.

It doesn’t take much to give your curb appeal a boost! And great curb appeal will make a difference if you are selling your home, or telling your neighbours you want to be friends.

Our team of real estate sales professionals is committed to finding you, your dream home. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell, the Karen Paul team is here to help with any questions.