How to Improve Curb Appeal: Getting Started

Whether you are thinking of selling your home or interested in protecting your investment, maintaining or improving curb appeal should be at the top of your list. Simply defined, curb appeal is the view of your home from the street.

Assessing curb appeal is not always easy to do. Often, we become familiar with how our homes look, and therefore, it is difficult to sometimes see what others see, particularly, potential buyers or neighbors.

Perhaps the best place to start assessing your curb appeal is to stand in front of your home and ask yourself the following questions:

1. What features do you like best about the exterior of your home? Are there ways to improve and accentuate those features?

2. What is your overall impression of your house and landscaping?

3. What features about the exterior of your home would you like to minimize or change?

Next, make a list of things you would like to change in order to improve the appearance of your home. Consider taking pictures to aid your brainstorming.

Sometimes all you need to make major improvements is time and a little sweat equity. A good place to start improving your curb appeal is by tackling yard clean up and repairs including:

Cleaning windows
Store garbage cans, toys, garden equipment and other items cluttering your yard.
Edge sidewalks and remove weeds growing between cement and pavers.
Keep the yard mowed and weed free.
Trim bushes and trees growing into the house and roof.
Power wash siding and decks.
Remove mold and mildew from house,sidewalks and driveways.
Rake leaves.
Remove grass clippings from driveway and sidewalks.
Replace burned out bulbs in exterior lighting.
Prune bushes and trees covering windows and entrances.
Resurface asphalt.
Remove dead trees and bushes.
Replace dead grass with seed or sod.
Wash window screens or repair.
Repair rotted facia and soffits.
Clean up pet waste

The Front Door
The focal point for most homes is the front door. Now might be the time to consider replacing your front door by updating to one that is more energy efficient. Also, to add to the appeal of your door, consider buying a door with a leaded glass window.

If a new door is not in your budget, consider repainting the door and updating the hardware to give it a fresh appearance.

Consider A Fresh Coat of Paint
Perhaps, nothing adds to curb appear like a fresh coat of paint on wooden surfaces. When selecting a paint color, you would do best to select paints that match other tones of houses in the neighborhood. While you will want to avoid painting your house exactly like your neighbor, be careful not to select paint colors that do not fit the character of the neighborhood. Also, if your home features brick as well, you will want to accentuate the tones and the colors in the brick, not contrast them.

Exterior Lighting
To make your home more inviting at night, consider adding landscape lighting. Easy to install, it’s a great addition to any home exterior at a relatively low cost. As well, if your exterior sconces have become dull, clean the glass and use Armoral all purpose cleaner to give metallic finishes a fresh look. If faded or worn, consider replacement sconces.

Landscaping
Overgrown landscaping can make a home look older than its actual age. Trees touching roofs provide an excellent pathway for wildlife to enter your home through the attic which can cause considerable damage. Thick bushes touching wooden siding can lead to rot by not letting moisture from rain and snow adequately dry. So keep trees and bushes trimmed back from the house to avoid costly repairs down the road.

When adding landscaping consider using a variety of colors. Avoid monotone appearances by using too many of the same type of plants. By using a variety of tones, you will create visual interest and add to curb appeal.

City Sidewalks
While the City is primarily responsible for maintaining the sidewalk in front of your home, if you are willing to live with a raised,uneven, and sometimes dangerous sidewalks in front of your home don’t blame the City. They are counting on you to let them know when sidewalks need repair. If you are concerned about the sidewalk in front of your home contact the City to include your address to their annual work order. For more information on the City of Naperville’s Sidewalk repair and replacement program visit: www.naperville.il.us/dynamiccontent.aspx?id=3481

Budgeting
Budget and time vary from household to household. Therefore, if either are an important consideration, then consider developing a plan to meets both your budget and time constraints. Putting off investing in the appearance of your home or keeping up with maintaining it will only end up costing you more time and money in the long run. Whether you start small or big, the trick to improved curb appeal is getting started.