Sprucing up your home’s curb appeal brings new energy and life not only to your property, but also to the entire neighborhood. It creates a welcoming and visually appealing environment and makes it a better candidate for resale, if that plan is in your near future.
Curb-appeal improvements can range from giving your home a new paint color to changing out the landscaping for a fresh look. Here are some summer projects to highlight the wonderful curb-appeal qualities of your home.
Enticing lighting: Lantern-lit walkways, under-shrub lighting and even soft twinkle lights illuminating a front porch all provide a welcoming atmosphere that invites visitors to your front door. Lighting also can help increase safety, as it brightens dark corners of your yard and reduces tripping hazards along walkways. Evaluate your home from the street at night and look for ways you can improve the lighting.
A fresh new color: Everyone loves the look of a new coat of paint. Whether used on your front door, shutters, trim or siding, it can really affect the look and feel of your home’s exterior. “When homeowners are planning to paint the exterior of their home, they want to make sure to use the very best paint to achieve a beautiful color that lasts,” says Scott Richards, senior vice president of marketing for Behr Paints.
Green and growing beauty: For green thumb gardeners, incorporating beautiful flowerbeds in strategic areas — around the mailbox, next to the driveway, along the sidewalk to the front door, around the front of the home — is a great way to add beautiful curb appeal. Continue to rotate new flowers into the flowerbeds as the seasons change, allowing you to vary the accent colors in your yard frequently.
If you don’t have the time or interest in flower gardening, however, you can create more perennial landscaping beds using hardy plants that require little maintenance. Check with your local garden shop for information about low-maintenance perennial plants, trees and shrubs to incorporate into your landscaping.
With these changes, your home’s curb appeal will invite visitors — or potential buyers — to stop and admire your house from the street. Whether you decide to do it yourself or hire a professional, you’ll be able to enjoy the transformation for many years to come. — brandpoint media