Clients  and audiences ask us questions Curb Appeal ALL THE TIME!!

What is it? How can I ncrease Curb Appeal at my home? How much does it cost? Will it pay off? How long does it take?  And the all too common… Joe down the street sold his house for Over Asking in 5 days… why should I bother with it in this Market when bidding wars are all too common? OR … I’m not selling. Why bother increasing my curb appeal? Great Questions…

The short answer is: Curb appeal is a subjective thing because it’s based on what any one person sees when they look at your home. It’s in the way it looks AND the way it feels.

Traditional or Contemporary homes, by their very nature, look different and appeal to different people. A cottage look or a log home may not appeal to everyone, either. You can’t change the STYLE of your home, but by looking at the home objectively and applying a few tried and true techniques, boosting the Curb Appeal of ANY home is possible.

A welcoming ENTRY or new front door made of steel which requires little maintenance and wrapped by light box windows makes a GREAT first impression. Containers matching the style of the home, along with new hardware and light fixtures (with new LED light bulbs) that match almost always make a good impression. Just make sure that if your home is on the market for any length of time that the containers are watered, fertilized and any weeds are removed regularly.

WINDOWS must be, at the very least, CLEAN and free of moisture, mold, and mildew. The Screens should be cleaned with a brush and soapy water so as not to obscure the view from inside the home. Visible mold on the windows creates a negative impact, so clean your window casements and frames completely using bleach to prevent the return of mold. If your windows have moisture between them, we always recommend replacing them as poor windows will definitely reduce the value of your home, and alternatively, new windows ADD to the value. You should paint or clean the outside frames as well. Try dressing them up with window boxes filled with seasonal annual flowers. This softens the view of the home and makes it more appealing.

On the topic of the home’s EXTERIOR: It should be in top form. Loose or missing shingles, dirty and cracked siding or flaking paint are signs of a poorly maintained home. Brick work with loose mortar and parging that’s falling off will also detract from a home’s appearance AND value. Most are fairly easy to fix by yourself or a contractor and add value to a home. It suggests “This home is Well Cared For”.

COLOURS on the outside of the home should be similar and complimentary to one another. Window and door trim, eaves, soffit and fascia, rain gutters, and siding when following a colour scheme will always add to the overall FEEL of the home. Complimentary colours add to a homes appearance and visual attractiveness.

Your LANDSCAPE should not be too over extravagant but should instead be more about softening harsh corners or areas on the house. Consider low maintenance shrubs and perennials along the pathway from driveway to front door. Avoid fragrant plants like roses as they be too fragrant for some people. A good rule of thumb is to plant shrubs, perennials and other plantings in groups of 3 or 5 as these are more visually appealing than plantings in pairs. Fence lines visible from the street, when not including a gate to the rear yard, are softened with small borders with shade plantings. Realistically, most homes are very close together and as a result, shade is the prominent condition so plant accordingly.

All GARDENS should be weed free, pruned, and covered with a new coating of mulch. Match the mulch colour to the shingles. A roof with predominantly brown shades in the shingles is best matched with brown mulch. I avoid red mulch in all but specific landscapes. Commercial buildings do, however, benefit from red mulch. A grey roof screams for black mulch in the gardens. Trim your shrubs appropriately but not harshly. If they’re old and overly large, have them removed and new ones planted. They should be small to midsize. You do not EVER want your home to be blocked by 30 year old shrubs that are long past their maturity. The same can be said for perennials… divide and share! Keep them looking compact and not overgrown. Fertilize well at the start of the season to keep blooms lasting for a longer period if you know that your home will go on the market far enough in advance of the prime growing season. Annuals should be planted in linear fashion, often matching the lines and curves of your garden beds. Any edging should be clean, sharp, and maintained. Stones or blocks separated or falling apart should be repaired. If your lawn grows right up to the garden edge, then a cut edge is an ideal solution to keep the grass from growing INTO the garden.

So ask yourself: Isn’t it worth 30 minutes to get a few ideas about how to boost my home’s curb appeal? We thought that’s what you’d say.

Arrange your free 30 Minute Consultation Now.

You’ll be glad you did.