Curb appeal is one of the most important selling factors for a home. It’s the very first impression potential buyers ever have, and it can even be the make-or-break factor that decides whether they even step inside the door at all. That’s why, if you’re planning on selling your home, it should be one of the first places you focus your home-staging efforts to ensure a quick and seamless sale!

Give It a Good Clean

Dirt and grime on the exterior of a home very rarely accumulate in just one day, so it’s easy not to notice the subtle build-up over time. To us, it may not necessarily feel unclean because we saw it just yesterday and it looked just the same! But to a potential buyer, that slightly “off” tinge can stick out like a sore thumb.

Take a pressure washer to the outside of the home to blast away dirt, grime, and cobwebs. And if you’ve got a paved driveway, don’t forget to give that a spray, too—you’ll be amazed at just how much of a difference a bit of water can make! Don’t forget about the windows and gutters, as well.

Give It a Fresh Coat of Paint

Whether the colour is looking out-of-place for current style trends or the weather has just taken its toll, a fresh coat of paint can always be a good ideal for boosting your home’s curb appeal for sale! To refresh the existing colour, simple scrape off a small bit of the paint and bring it to your local paint store to have it properly matched. Or, to give the house a completely new appearance, find a nice, neutral shade and complimentary colours for the trim and doors that can give it the facelift it needs! No matter which you decide to do, though, don’t forget to prep the surface to ensure long-lasting performance.

Consider Installing Vinyl Siding

While it may add a bit of work to your plate up-front to install, vinyl siding can not only boost curb appeal, but it may even help to boost your home’s value, too! Very durable and incredibly low-maintenance, potential buyers will love how much time they will save when the only upkeep they’ll need to do is a quick spray with a power washer every so often! Plus, if you’re really set on having colour, you can even buy it in a wide variety of hues that will never need a refresh of paint ever again!

Check the Roof

If you’ve had the roof repaired or replaced in the last couple of years, there’s a good chance you might not have to do much more than a quick cleaning job to clear away dirt and lost artifacts that always seem to make their way up there. However, if it has been a while, you may want to bring in a roofing professional to give the proper maintenance that it might need. Not only can this add to curb appeal, but potential home buyers will also be much happier to hear they won’t have to worry about potential costly repairs in the near future should bad weather hit.

Love on Your Landscape

Especially in summer, nothing sticks out more than an un-mown lawn with leaves, sticks, and debris flung across it. It gives the home the appearance that care hasn’t been taken in maintaining the exterior, and almost immediately the mind anticipates that the interior will be much the same.

To ensure your landscape is in tip-top shape to offer the most curb appeal possible, be sure to regularly mow your lawn when in season, and prune overgrown shrubs and trees. If you have a garden, spend some time weeding and mulching to add a polished look, and maybe pop in a few annuals for some colour. If you don’t have any garden space, you can still add some colour with a few potted plants by the door, too!

Other Small Ways to Boost Your Curb Appeal

Consider replacing house numbers. Old house numbers that are weathered and falling off not only make it harder for potential buyers to find your home, but it can take away from all the hard work you’ve done to spruce up your exterior!

Update old hardware. All potential buyers see when they notice a falling apart mailbox or a loose doorbell is more time and money they would have to spend if they were to buy your house.

Check exterior bulbs. It’s easy to forget about the bulbs we never look at once we’re in the house, but if you ever have an evening viewing, it’s hard for buyer’s to miss!

If you want your home to make the best first impression with potential buyers, a little time spent in boosting your curb appeal can make a world of difference. And it doesn’t have to be a terribly costly affair either! Even by doing just a couple of these property pampering projects, you can really amp up the WOW factor to get possible new homeowners excited to get inside and see what it’s all about!