Maximize Your Home's Curb Appeal

Maximizing your home's curb appeal can renew your home's appearance while raising its market value. Many improvement cost very little money. Here are some ideas to get you thinking:

The Basics

Clean: Patrol regularly and pick up wrappers, cups and newspapers that have blown into your yard. Sweep the sidewalk every so often and hose down your walkways to get rid of leaves and dirt. Every year or so, hose down or power-wash your house. (Use the method recommended for your house's exterior.) Wash your exterior windows and doors regularly to keep them gleaming. A little effort goes a long way to make your home look loved and well-tended.

Brighten: If you can afford to repaint your house, give it a fresh new look. Find an exciting color that will make it stand out in your neighborhood. For period flair, research the colors that were commonly used when your house was new. If you can't afford to do the whole house, do the exterior woodwork. Try a bold accent color to make the windows pop instead of the standard white.

Maintain: Take care of your yard and your house's exterior regularly. Try to repair broken steps, cracked walkways and chipped paint before they become severe. If your house numbers or door handles are brass, polish them when they start looking dull. Mow your lawn regularly and be sure to use the edger. Inspect your garden for dead plants and weeds. Deadhead plants that are done blooming. Water them and the lawn during dry spells, always being aware of municipal ordinances governing when and how to water. Check for damaged siding, gutters or shingles. Every so often, go across the street and look at your house from a distance. See if anything strikes you as needing attention, and assess whether your house is giving the first impression you want.

Enhancements

Hardscape: Add a retaining wall, a patio, a pathway or brick garden borders. Consider an arbor, a pergola, raised flower beds, container gardens, a bench or lawn furniture, solar path lights. Or add some garden art with a gazing ball, a birdbath or bird feeder, a garden gnome, a gargoyle, trellises, wind socks or banners, hanging planters, privacy or decorative fencing.

Softscape: Flower beds, shrubs, trees, ground cover, landscaping, fresh mulch or landscape stone, a water feature.

Combine several kinds of enhancements in your yard can create a new look. For instance, try grouping an arbor, some shrubs, a retaining wall and a gargoyle. Be careful not to add too much stuff, which can overwhelm a yard, particularly a smallish one. Part of the art of maximizing curb appeal is knowing when to stop! Also, take the style of your house into consideration. If you have a mission-style house you may want yard accessories with simple lines and a cottage-type garden. If you have a '60s ranch, you might want shaped shrubbery for a cool retro vibe–and some flamingos. Have some fun and express yourself.

If you don't know which way to go with your front yard landscape, drive through neighborhoods you like and get ideas from them, or take a digital picture of your house, print off several copies on plain paper and doodle or make collages on them.