Curb Appeal
When driving around, have you noticed how some houses seem to have it together – from paint, to landscaping, to the perfect color for the door? That is often called curb appeal, and it can be somewhat elusive. From a real estate standpoint, curb appeal makes a home more valuable and easier to sell. For a homeowner, it says pride. Does your own home have curb appeal? When you look at it objectively, does it give a strong first impression? If not, what is it lacking? Here are ten techniques to perk up your home’s curb appeal.
1) Clean up. This is one of the least expensive yet most significant things you can do to improve the look of your home. Simply picking up the front yard, putting away unused items such as lawn furniture or other random items, and cleaning up the driveway can make a huge difference. 2) Prune and plant. Cleaning up your landscaping is another easy step. Start by pruning trees and shrubs to enhance their beauty. Then do some planting. Use trees to create focal points. Tall shrubs can frame and accent interesting features of your house and yard, and conceal unsightly garbage cans & structures. Low plants and groundcover will tie everything together. Brightly colored flowers in the foreground are a sure way to make a yard look lively.
3) Wash the siding. If you can work safely from the ground or a ladder, this is a job you can do yourself; otherwise, call a handyman or professional pressure washing service. If you’re doing the cleaning yourself, protect stone and brick walls, patios, and plants with plastic sheeting. Sweep off dirt, working from the eaves to the base. Hose off the walls, again working from the top down. If necessary, scrub them with a stiff-bristle brush attached to a long handle, using a mixture of water and non-phosphate detergent. If you decide to use a pressure washer yourself, be very careful to keep the nozzle moving; holding it in one place will remove the paint.
4) Paint. If cleaning doesn’t revive your home’s paint job, painting—though relatively
expensive—will give you plenty of bang for your buck, transforming your house with an entirely fresh new look. If painting the siding is a bit beyond your budget right now, consider painting just the trim.
5) Green-up your lawn. Because a front lawn often carpets much of the front yard, its condition is critical to how a house looks from the street. You can start with regular mowing, raking, edging, weeding, and watering. If necessary, fertilize, de-thatch, or aerate it to get your lawn looking great.
6) Create visual interest. Front-yard gardens, fences, arbors, and water features: these are just a few of the elements that can add style, character, and visual interest to your front yard.
7) Punch up the path. The walkway and/or steps that lead to your front door can do more than provide safe passage—they can set the tone for your home’s style, from casual to informal, simple to stately. Whether you select brick, concrete, stone or tile, you will not lack for choices of materials or styles.
8) Focus on details. Small things can make a big difference. Your mailbox, house numbers, front light, and potted plants on the porch all present a relatively inexpensive but highly influential opportunity to project style and excellence. Above all, be sure your front door is in great shape. If it isn’t, either refinish or replace it.
9) Light the way. Outdoor lighting is very effective at highlighting your home and yard’s features after daylight hours. Your front yard should have functional path and front porch lighting as well as accent lighting to help create dramatic effects. Home improvement centers carry a variety of low-voltage lighting kits that are made for DIY installs.
10) Garage your cars. Many of us turn our garages into storage rooms and park our cars in the driveway where they clutter the view of the house. If this is the case with your household, maybe it’s time to pare down the paraphernalia to make room for the cars.
Water in our Veins–Meet Lake James Real Estate
Please call us if we can help with any of your real estate needs at Lake James – who better to help you than people who live, play and work here!
Polly Leadbetter – Owner/Broker P/ 828-584-9999 C/ 828-443-5407
Shane Cook – Sales P/828-584-9999 C/828-443-3205
Rhonda Edge – Sales P/828-584-9999 C/828-443-6595
Amanda Hotchkiss – Sales P/ 828-584-9999 C/ 828-335-3001
Marc Parham – Sales P/828-584-9999 C/828-443-1337
Denice Rechtiene – Sales P/828-584-9999 C/828-432-6976
