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After a long winter season, it’s common for your home to be a little worse for wear. After all, it may have had to endure snow, ice, salt, and winter storms, so the siding may be dirty, the gardens a bit of a mess, and the windows in need of a good cleaning.
Since curb appeal is all about initial impressions, making minor fixes and slight upgrades or even putting in a bit of time to clean and organize a property can make a big difference in how your house is seen. Take a weekend to complete these spring home maintenance tasks that elevate the curb appeal of your property.
Repaint the doors and update hardware.
One of the quickest ways to make a striking change to the exterior of your home is to give the front door, side door, and even the garage door a fresh coat of paint. Change the color if you want to create a new look, or simply stick with the existing color and update the current hardware, renewing the appearance of your doors to enhance the curb appeal of the home.
“A bold front door tells buyers the homeowner takes pride in their property. Add a refreshed garage door and updated hardware and suddenly the whole front of the home feels cohesive. That emotional cue matters more than people realize,” says Laurel Simmons, real estate professional at Sotheby’s International Realty.
Plant and mulch flower beds.
Barren flower beds with dried-out dirt tend to give a home a neglected feel. When spring weather hits, take the time to purchase some attractive plants for curb appeal that will not only look stunning in the garden but will also complement the rest of the home. Additionally, adding mulch to the flower beds also creates an attractive appearance that can increase the curb appeal of a property.
Simmons explains that “fresh mulch does something almost magical. It makes a modest yard look professionally landscaped overnight.” It will also help your flowers grow by retaining soil moisture, suppressing weeds, adding nutrients, and regulating temperature.
Add new or replace old outdoor light fixtures.
A dark house at night doesn’t have a welcoming feel, and it can even give some people the impression that the home isn’t safe, especially if the front steps and porch are left in the dark. Outdoor lighting, specifically motion-activated security lights and other integrated lighting, is a great way to reduce the risk of attempted break-ins while increasing the attractiveness of the property.
“Good lighting at the entry makes a home feel warm and welcoming before buyers even step inside. That emotional tone-setting is worth a lot,” mentions Simmons. If your home is lacking in lighting, then consider adding new outdoor lights. If you already have ample lighting but some aren’t in great shape, then replace those old, worn light fixtures to immediately improve the look of the house.
Clean the windows.
Weather and the passing of time can leave your windows dirty, giving the house a neglected feel. If you have a couple of hours free on the weekend, take that time to make your windows sparkle. Simmons says that “clean windows are a small effort with an outsized impact. They make the whole home feel brighter, fresher, and move-in ready before a buyer ever walks through the door.”
Not only do clean windows enhance curb appeal, they also make the interior of a home more pleasant. In addition, you can invest in harmonizing window treatments to further elevate the look of your windows from both the inside and outside of the home.
Pressure wash hardscaping and clean siding.
Just as cleaning windows can improve the appearance of a home, cleaning the driveway, siding, walkways, and patios can immediately elevate the charm of your property. “A freshly washed exterior signals to buyers that a home has been looked after. It is one of the cheapest improvements with the highest perceived return,” Simmons explains.
Pressure washers often have a variable pressure setting and come with multiple nozzles so you can adjust the output depending on the surface you are cleaning. Additionally, you can take a step or two back from the surface to reduce the pressure you are applying, allowing you to clean siding, wood fencing, stone walkways, and asphalt driveways with the same versatile tool.
Tidy up the trees and landscaping.
If the house already looks great, then your main focus may be the yard. A messy, unkempt yard indicates neglect, which can communicate to guests or potential home buyers that they should be on the lookout for problems inside the home as well. After winter weather has passed, take a day to trim your trees and bushes, then turn your focus to the landscaping.
Simmons notes that “buyers are not always thinking consciously about edging or flowers, but they feel it. A neat lawn with a little color communicates that the whole home has been taken care of.” Mow your lawn, then use an edger to clearly define the flower beds and the edges of the lawn that border the sidewalk, driveway, patio, and walkway, giving the yard a neat and well-maintained appearance.
Update the house numbers and mailbox.
An incredibly easy curb appeal idea is to update the house numbers and the mailbox. “It sounds minor, but updated house numbers and a fresh mailbox show buyers that the homeowner sweated the details. That carries through to how they perceive the whole property,” says Simmons.
Generally, all you need to replace your house numbers and your mailbox is a drill or driver with the right driver bits. This job takes a few minutes to complete, but can make all the difference to the curb appeal of the home when compared to a rusted or damaged mailbox and worn numbers.
