9 Striking Ideas to Give Your Home Undeniable Curb Appeal

Whether you’re preparing to sell or just want to spruce up your home’s exterior for spring, there’s no denying that a house with curb appeal is a house that receives double takes from passers by.

You don’t need to strip paint and dig up the entire front yard to give your home a makeover. Small changes, like the nine suggestions below, will give the facade a whole new look and attract attention [whether you were hoping for it or not].  

1. Survey the area

If your goal is to make your home more appealing to potential buyers, you need to get in their mindset. 

Arm yourself with a pen, paper, and critical eye, and take a walk around your home's exterior. Note anything that looks shabby or dirty, as well as items that need to be repaired or replaced. Check it out from across the street, too, as you’ll get a different perspective and possibly see things you haven’t noticed before.  

If you’re not selling your home any time soon, this is still a great exercise. You can take care of mini outdoor projects that will make you feel better about your house as a whole. 

2. Paint the front door

Even if no other changes are made, a freshly-painted front door can completely transform the look of your house. 

A bright door in a hue like yellow or turquoise draws positive attention to your home and automatically makes it more inviting. A coat of shiny black paint is a classic update that will give it an air of sophistication. Even a fresh white door can make the rest of the exterior appear clean and tidy by association. 

3. Repair the roof  

Look up: how does your roof look?

Anyone that’s lived in their home for a significant amount of time could probably answer, “Not the best.”

If it’s stained, streaked, or missing shingles, a deep clean (or potential replacement) is in order. Buyers will have peace of mind about a roof that looks sound and sturdy, and until you do sell the home, you should, too. 

4. Shine your house numbers

Shabby house numbers are hard to see and easy to forget. You want your home to be memorable for guests and potential new residents alike, so make it stand out!

If your house numbers simply need a little wipe down and shine, you can clean them up in as little as five minutes. If they’re better off replaced, be sure to keep the style of your house in mind. Modern numbers on a traditional house may provide interesting contrast, but they can also affect the historical integrity of the home.

5. Give your pathway some polish

The walkway leading up to your front door is a guest’s first introduction to the pride you take in home maintenance. Don’t let chipped brick or concrete give a false impression.

Concrete can be relatively easy to repair, with the correct patch material and sealant. Repairing individual bricks be a bit trickier, so opt for redoing larger sections, if not the entire walkway. 

If the condition of the walkway is fine, but it looks a bit faded, a stain is a great way to revive it’s look with minimal effort. 

6. Upgrade your porch lights

A well-lit front porch is a welcoming front porch. If you’re hoping to sell your home quickly and to the highest bidder, any element that makes them immediately feel at home is a sound investment. 

The outdoor wall and post lights that came with your home have undoubtedly seen better days. Give them an update with fixtures in fresher finishes or unique shapes. As with house numbers, you’ll want to maintain the style of the house with lighting accessories, but choosing pieces with a bit of personality can impact the overall look and feel of your home’s exterior. 

7. Makeover your garage door

Garage doors are huge, yet consistently overlooked.    

Give someone driving by a reason to want to park their car at your house with a stunning garage door makeover. It can be as simple as replacing the hardware or brushing on a fresh coat of paint, or giving it a custom faux finish, like wood grain. 

8. Replace your mailbox

No one wants to stop at the house with the rusty, off-kilter mailbox.

Upping your home’s curb appeal can be as simple as giving your mailbox a fresh coat of paint and attaching it to a new post. If the situation is a little more dire than that, replacing the whole thing with an all-metal unit, or one with brick features, communicates an air of elegance even from the end of the driveway. 

Just remember: You’ll need to follow the regulations that are set forth by your city for mailbox installation. Yes, you want potential buyers to come check your home out, but the postman needs access, too!

9. Show your landscaping some love

A new front door, custom lighting, and winding pathway are all beautiful additions that can instantly lose their curb appeal when the yard is a mess.

Don’t let patchy grass and overgrown flower beds ruin your efforts. Weeding, cutting, edging, and watering are to your yard as makeup is to the face: it enhances your favorite features and gives everything a more put-together look.  

Giving your home more curb appeal doesn’t require a weeks-long renovation. Try out one or all of the options on this list to get your home to the top of buyers’ lists, and worthy of the front page of any home decorating magazine. 

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