Curb appeal: it’s the best way to introduce your property to anyone eyeing it up. Whether you want to sell soon or simply maintain a home you can be proud of, focusing on your curb appeal will pay the most dividends!
And there are about a million different ways you can boost your curb appeal. But what about what you’ve already got going on out there?
Because there’s also a chance that there’s a few blights on your outdoor decor as is, and they’re all lowering the value of your property.
So let’s examine this problem and see how it’s affecting your home. Is there something ruining your curb appeal right now? Take a step outside, look for the issues we’ve listed below, and then do what you can to fix them.
Pexels Image – CC0 LicenceAny Overgrown Plant Life
Greenery looks great round the front of a house. However, when that greenery becomes overgrown and a little untamed, it’s time to cut it back to look a lot more neat.
Even when you like the look of a wilderness garden, you’re going to want to keep the front of your home more under control. You’re less likely to get passive aggressive notes from neighbors, and your property’s value will stay where it should be.
Overgrown hedges are the worst for this. If there’s any greenery poking through fence slats, or even grown through them entirely, they’re now intruding onto the street and giving your home a bit more of an ‘abandoned chic’ look than you really want.
Your External Drains
A lot of properties have externally visible drains out the back, in the corner or middle of the yard. And that’s fine; you’re the only person going to see them. But it’s also quite common for these drainage areas to be found round the front of a home too.
If that’s the case with your property, you could be dealing with a curb appeal issue at the lowest ground level. External drains don’t really ever look good, no matter where they are, but you definitely don’t want them harming your property’s perception with anyone who passes by.
If you can, try to install a trench drain system, instead of just a basic drain cover or grate. Not only does a trench system close off open drains, but they’re much more subtle, hygienic, and far less smelly too.
Your Colors are Faded
Faded paint looks terrible. It doesn’t give a property a classic muted tone that many people like the look of – it just looks like it’s gotten too much sun! And if you don’t want to simply whitewash the brick and call it a day, you’re going to want to repaint ASAP.
Faded exterior color makes your home look old, aged, and a bit decrepit. You definitely don’t want that in the current housing market, so try to get on top of any fading issues with a can of paint and brush, or a sprayer and a bit of vinyl washing.
There’s Too Much Going on
In an attempt to fix your home’s curb appeal woes, you might just overcompensate. It’s easy to do; a bit more paint here, another plant there, and some gravel or woodchip down on the ground in between.
Lovely. But once you take a step back and look at it overall, you’re not going to know where to look.
And that can be a problem, especially if you’re trying to sell and want to encourage interest from buyers. If they can’t make out your home’s shape and size from the photos, because there’s just so much going on out the front, they’re going to look elsewhere.
With curb appeal, less tends to be more. You don’t want the area bare, but you don’t want to try and squeeze in too much either.
Curb Appeal Mistakes: Everyone Makes Them, But They’ll Need Fixing
When you make a mistake with your home’s curb appeal, you haven’t damaged the value of your property forever. Not at all.
But you do need to identify these issues and think about repainting, redecorating, and relandscaping.
And if you’re just moving into a new place and want to make sure your curb appeal is all sorted, these are the problem areas to look out for.
The greenery, the drainage, the coloring, and just how much there is for the eyes to flick over. Visual noise isn’t any good for houses either, and it’s much better to have a proper focal point.
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