Creating curb appeal to sell your home is easier and more affordable than you think

When it comes to putting your home on the market this spring/summer, you’ll need to draw interested buyers in with your home’s exterior. An online listing traditionally highlights the exterior of the home first – and the exterior image is the image home buyers spend the most time viewing!

You’ll want your exterior to stand out both in your real estate photography images and in person. Spring into summer is a great time to boost your curb appeal and prepare to list!

Here are 4 easy and fast ways to add instant curb appeal to your home this summer:

 

1. Create defined areas with landscaping materials

You can add visual interest to your yard by creating specific spaces, shapes, and textures with landscaping materials. For instance, create an area for hardy shrubs (great for winter interest) by using fresh mulch. This is an affordable way to add a dramatic change to your exterior.

Another way to design elevated spaces is with river rock and interesting plants for an attractive xeriscape look. Xeriscaping is defined as a style of landscape design requiring little or no irrigation or other maintenance, used in arid regions.

 

2. Add fresh plants and greenery

Along with adding fresh mulch, river rock, and gravel, you’ll want to incorporate fresh plants and greenery. Well-placed plants can significantly enhance your front yard, and depending on what you select, can be very affordable and long-lasting.

While flowers add pops of color and sweet aromas, make sure to also add in hardy, perennials that will stay through the next owner.

 

3. Create symmetry around your entrance

Landscaping with symmetry in mind is a pleasing visual that is backed by science. Why do people enjoy symmetry so much? According to HowStuffWorks, “the simple explanation for our attraction to symmetry is that it’s familiar. Symmetrical objects and images play by the rules that our brains are programmed to recognize easily.”

Furthermore, “if nature is symmetrical, then so is our mind.”

When you’re deciding how to add curb appeal to your front entryway, we recommend planter pots of various sizes that match each side. Choose 1-3 pots and place them to mirror one another.

Not only will this look great in real estate images of your home online, but it’ll be a pleasing first impression for showings.

 

4. Paint your front door

A high-impact upgrade to your home’s curb appeal can be as simple as painting your front door. Draw in attention with a pop of red, green or even bright yellow! If you do paint your front door, make sure it’s a color that suits the rest of your exterior. You can find inspiration here (click exteriors) or by searching on Pinterest.

To paint your door, first sand it down and wash away any dust and debris. If your door is a dark color, start with a primer. Once your primer dries, you can start painting! Make sure you buy a high-quality paint that is not a matte texture. Doors are considered high-traffic so you want a gloss/semi-gloss that can hide scuffs, etc.

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Ask any real estate photographer or agent, they will all agree that listings stand out more online with attractive curb appeal. It’s really as simple as that! Boost your home’s curb appeal quickly and affordably by painting your door, adding greenery, creating symmetry around the entryway and landscaping with river rock, gravel, and mulch.