The 21 Most Popular Curb Appeal Ideas You Can Add to Your Home in Less than 24 Hours

The 21 Most Popular Curb Appeal Ideas You Can Add to Your Home in Less than 24 Hours

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Curb Appeal Ideas - Ruhl Home

Curb appeal doesn't necessarily have to take years to take effect. You can add your own quite quickly

WHEN THE TIME COMES to sell your home, there are several steps you can take to help entice buyers to stop and check it out. If you were to talk to just about any reputable realtor, one of the first things they are likely to tell you is you must make potential buyers want to see more of your home.

If the first thing they see is a run-down home or yard, most will drive on. According to the National Association of Realtors, (although we couldn't find the actual study, it's quoted in quite a few places) curb appeal sells approximately 49% of all houses.

Here are 21 of the most popular curb appeal ideas we found used by realtors and home and garden websites across the country.

#1 - Paint

Nothin' like a Fresh Coat of Paint

Painting a Door

Repainting your home is one of the best curb appeal ideas out there. If the paint on your home looks old or is faded, chipped, and cracked, any potential buyer is going to see a home that looks like it has not been well cared for.

Buying a few gallons of paint, rollers, and brushes doesn't cost that much, but can add tremendous value to your home. You can give the front a coat in a day. To do the whole house, depending on the size of your home, you can probably paint it in one or two days.

#2 - Edge Your Lawn

Put that Power Edger (or Spade) to Good Use

Curb appeal ideas - edge lawns

Remember that power edger you bought, you know the one that is buried out in your garden shed? This is the perfect time to drag it out and put it to work.

Nothing looks nicer that crisp clean edges along all f your sidewalks, paths, and of course don't forget your driveway. Grass that is overgrowing the edges of paths etc. make your home look unkempt, no matter what the rest of the yard looks like.

#3 - Front Light Fixture

Add a Touch of Class with a Fancy Light Fixture

Curb appeal ideas - Front light fixture

Your front door is the gateway to your home, if all you have to light the way is a boring commercial style light fixture, buyers are not likely to be impressed. This is one of the least expensive curb appeal ideas.

Check out the wide range of front light fixtures available online and in your local hardware stores. Shed a little extra light on the front door, you might be surprised at the results.

#4 - New Mailbox

Update that Old Beat-up Mailbox with Something Newer and Nicer

Curb appeal ideas - New Mailbox

While that beat up old standard mailbox might still be perfectly good and still keeps you mail dry, it sure doesn't look good from the street. It is also one of the first things potential buyers are likely to see when they pull up.

Now is the perfect time to replace it with a brand new one, leaving the old one in place could lead people to think the rest of your home matches the condition of the mailbox.

#5 - New Mulch

Give Your Gardens a Fresh New Look

Curb Appeal Ideas - New Mulch

Mulch tends to stop looking good after only a few months out in the weather. As potential buyers walk up to your door, you can bet they will be checking out the gardens. A few bags of mulch don't cost much and can be laid down in a couple of hours or so.

This is a wonderful way to make your flower gardens look spectacular and show buyers how much you care about your home and gardens.

#6 - Shutters

Shutters Make a Nice Change from Curtains

They can be used to block out the light and let in plenty of fresh air. Even more importantly, you can paint them to complement the color scheme of each room you put them in.

No one ever said windows must have curtains or that shutters belong on the outside. Interior shutters have become a very popular trend.

They can be used to block out the light and let in plenty of fresh air. Even more importantly, you can paint them to complement the color scheme of each room you put them in.

#7 - Clean Exterior Walls, Fences and Pavers

Get Rid of the Grime and Add Beauty and Value

Pressure washer

Over time you have probably become used to how dingy your exterior walls, fences, driveway etc. have become.

Whether you are talking about the walls of your home or those surrounding your gardens, washing them down with a power washer or even scrubbing them by hand can have a dramatic effect on the way your home looks from the street and on how fast it is likely to sell.

#8 - Replace a Few of Those Tile/Shingles on the Roof

You Don't Have to Replace the Entire Roof for Instant Curb Appeal

Curb appeal ideas - Changing Shingles

Remember that wind storm that came through your area last winter and left you with a few missing or damaged tiles or shingles?

This is the last thing a potential buyer wants to see. Replacing them is something you can do if you are familiar with working on the roof, otherwise, your best bet is to call in a professional roofer who can get the job done in a few hours.

#9 - Highlight the Path to Your Door

Add a border of shurbs or a few lights to draw visitors down the garden path

curb appeal ideas - garden path

Have you ever noticed how many creatures are attracted to lights? You can achieve a similar effect by adding a few electric or solar-powered lights along the sides of the path to your front door

Not only do they look quite chic, but they will make it much easier for buyers who come to see your home after the sun sets. This is something you can do for yourself in just a few hours, less if you install solar-powered lights.

#10 - Make Front Door Stand Out (Say Open Me)

Give Your Front Door an Upgrade

Curb appeal ideas - front door upgrade

Your front door is the gateway to your home and how it looks from the street is likely to have a huge impact. Upgrading your front door or at least refinishing it, is one of the more popular curb appeal ideas that has definitely been proven to work.

While a new door might be needed if your old is in rough condition, more often than not simply cleaning it and repainting it will have the desired effect. Just be sure to pick a color that complements but stands out from the exterior wall color.

#11 - Prune and Prune Some More

Tame those Wild Hedges and Climbing Plants

Curb appeal ideas - trimming and pruning

The walls of your home are no place for birds and other animals to nest and there is no reason why your climbing ivy or hedges should look like they are totally out of control.

Be sure to trim anything back that might obstruct windows, doors, or porches. If you have hedges around your yard or garden, be sure to trim them back and make sure the tops look nice and level for instant curb appeal.

#12 - Add a Door Knocker

Knock, Knock... It's A Potential Buyer

curb appeal ideas - Door knocker

Now that you have spruced up your front door or at have replaced it with a shiny new one, there is one more finishing touch missing.

Adding a nice door knocker is a great way to add a touch of class to your home's entryway. Sure, people are still going to use the doorbell, but at the same time, you can bet they will be staring at the doorknocker and wondering if it really works. What a neat way to welcome a potential buyer to your home.

#13 - Install Window Boxes

What a Gorgeous Way to Brighten Up the Exterior of Your Home

Curb appeal ideas - flower window boxes

Window planters offer you a very affordable way to add a dash of color to your home. They are easy to install and even easier to fill with soil and plant.

Depending on the variety of flowers you choose to plant, you could have blooms in less than a month and plants that will continue to flower all summer long.

#14 - Add Arbors or Fence Panels

Nothing Like Adding a Touch of Privacy to Your Home

curb appeal ideas - arbors or fence panels

Whether it's neighbors with a messy yard, businesses that can be seen from your yard, or you simply want to add a touch of privacy to your home a few inexpensive fence panels or an arbor is a great solution.

Fence panels come preassembled today so that all you have to do is install fence post in the right places and attach the panels.

#15 - Stonewall Border Edges

Your Home is Your Castle and it Needs Walls

curb appeal ideas - border edges

A good way to make your gardens look even better than they already do is to install stonewall border edges around them. 

You can use real stone and set each piece yourself or you can buy faux stone wall sections that can be used to surround your gardens in a truly traditional manner.

#16 - Outdoor Art

What a Great Way to Add a Little Fun and Whimsy

curb appeal ideas - outdoor art

You have worked so hard creating a world of your own in your backyard and gardens, why not add a little life to it.

There are so many different forms of outdoor art available it will leave your head spinning. The good news is that whether you buy rock animals, resin birds, or ceramic beasts, your yard is only going to gain when it comes to curb appeal.

#17 - Upgrade Railings

Give them Something New to Hang onto

https://zacsgarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/DIY_Iron_X_Handrail.jpg?x16096

Everyone needs a hand (rail) to hold on to, especially when going up and down the steps to what you hope is to become their new home.

If your railings are like most, they are probably showing their age by now. Rather than painting them and trying to make them look good, why not update them with something a little fancier or more up to date.

#18 - Create a New Planting Bed

A Little Dirt, a Frame, a Few Plants and Violà!

Raised_Garden_Bed_Set

See that expanse of boring lawn in front of your home? So do any potential buyers. This is another of the many inexpensive curb appeal ideas that you can throw together in an afternoon.

While it might not take much time to complete and plant, a planting bed like this one can add a tremendous amount of appeal and value to your home. Just be sure to add plenty of that new mulch to make your planting bed look its best.

#19 - Potted Plants

Potted Plants are not Only for Inside Your Home

potted_plants

Most people tend to think of potted plants as something that belongs inside the home. While this is true and you can definitely spruce up the inside of your home with a few plants, this is not the only place for them.

There are many different plants that can be successfully grown outdoors. Put one on each side of the front door, several out on the deck or patio, and even scatter a few in strategic places around your yard for maximum effect.

#20 - Install House Numbers

Think Bigger than Just Your Mailbox

Personalized_Cast_House_Numbers

In this day and age, most of us have our house number on our mailboxes so the post office knows where to put our bills.

The problem is that many areas group their mailboxes together, making it hard to find an address if there are no numbers on the houses. The best way to cure this problem is to put your house number on the front of your house using numbers that are large enough to be easily seen from the street.

#21 - Garden Lawn Patio Landscape Pathway Decor

Add a Touch of Flair to Your Garden Paths

Curb appeal ideas - pathway lighting

If you have taken the time to create one or more paths running through your lawn and around your gardens, why not add a few lights along them.

Adding lights is also a great way to add nighttime curb appeal to your home for those who like to go shopping for their next home in the evening or simply want to see what their next potential home looks like at night.

Pulling Up to the Curb (In Summary)

If you truly want to make the most of the curb appeal ideas, you need to take an objective look at your house as you pull up to it. Try to look at it as if you were interested in buying it for the first time.

Note anything that looks old, tired, worn out, out of place, or just not as nice as it should. These are the things you should be doing something about them. Only you can do what it takes to get the most out of your home, take the time to make it look its best.

Remember, you only get one chance to make a good first impression!

Thanks for reading, if you have any comments please use the contact form

Why not ask your friends if they have any curb appeal ideas by sharing with Pinterest or Facebook?

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