How to Add Curb Appeal for Less

It’s Spring and as a personal finance blogger friend of mine pointed out yesterday, Spring is the time of year when people tend to move (thus there’s more open houses). That also means that people are doing extra work to make sure their houses are attractive and sale-ready with curb appeal.

While there’s plenty of things that need to be done on the inside of most homes to get them ready for prospective buyers’ viewing pleasure, the appearance of the outside of your home is just as important as the inside. In fact, it may be more important as curb appeal is the first thing that potential buyers will see when they come to look at your house.

It’s easy to get carried away with adding curb appeal and making your home look more attractive and it can get expensive quickly. With that in mind, here are some ideas for how you can add curb appeal for less. We’ll start at the top of the house and work out way down. 🙂

Gutters

Adding a new roof is a very expensive project, so it isn’t on the list of how to add curb appeal for less, but that doesn’t mean you should neglect how the top part of your home looks from the street. Cleaning out your gutters to remove leaves and built-up debris can make you home look more attractive, well-kept, and it’s also a good idea to do this on a semi-regular basis for safety reasons.

Wipe Down and Paint Trim

Taking a little time to wipe down the trim and re-paint it if necessary is a very cheap project. Most people have a little left-over paint they can use to add a coat of paint to their trim, making it look clean and fresh in the eyes of potential buyers.

Add Shutters

If you home needs a little more color to be inviting, you should consider adding shutters that match your trim. This is a fairly inexpensive and long-lasting way to add some more color and personality to the front of your home.

Give Your Door a Make-Over

The front door of your home is one of the first things that guests and buyers will see. Painting your front door a fun color makes your home look more inviting and modern. You can also switch out hardware on you door fairly inexpensively (unless you change the locks, that can get expensive).

Don’t Forget About Your House Numbers

House numbers are a small detail many people over-look, but changing out your ancient house numbers for more modern ones is a good idea.

Mow the Grass for Curb Appeal

Keeping your lawn mowed, trimmed, and well-manicured while your home is on the market is a must for curb appeal! If your lawn looks over-grown it automatically makes your home look neglected, no matter how much you put into the other items on this list.

Add Some Flowers

Putting a couple of planters on the front porch or by the mailbox add some color to the front of your house and make it look well taken care of. You can either plant the flowers yourself in some existing pots, or you can spend a bit more to get some that are pre-potted at a greenhouse.

What other ways can you think of to add curb appeal to your home without spending much?