The curb appeal of your home is the first thing people see when they drive up to it. So if you want to sell your house, it’s important that you put in some effort into making sure this area looks nice. But how can you do so on a budget? The key is creativity. You don’t need expensive materials or tools, just a little imagination, and elbow grease!
Here are some ideas that won’t break the bank!
1. Replace Your Mailbox
The mailboxes you see in most suburbs are pretty standardized. Dull, boring, and ugly. If you can replace yours with a slightly more unique version, this could make people’s first impression of your house much better. You don’t need high-quality materials or something that will last forever. A weatherproof box would do the trick at around $50 or less.
2. Give Your Front Door Some Curb Appeal
You can make a really big change to the outside of your home by simply replacing the front door. You should choose one carefully though because you want it to look nice, but it also has to be functional. If you have an older door, replacing it with a modern one will make a big difference in the way people perceive your house. A good mid-range door would cost around $250 or less depending on its features and material.
3. Install New Light Fixtures
Lighting is very important in setting the tone of any space. If your light fixtures are looking a bit dated, it’s time to replace them with something more modern or sophisticated. You can spend anywhere between $50 and upwards of several thousands of dollars on this project depending on the type of fixture you choose.
4. Plant Some Flowers
Generally, most people don’t have the money to spend hiring professionals for garden work. But if you want to improve the immediate outside of your home, one of the most cost-effective ways is by planting flowers in planters or in the ground. It gives a nice touch of color and it’s easier than many people make it out to be!
5. Hedge Trimming
If you’ve got some bushes or hedges in front of your house, chances are they’re overgrown and out of control. Fortunately, this is an easy problem to fix by hiring a professional to come in and give them a trim! For something like this that requires very little skill, expect to pay around $40 per hour for labor.
Instead of pruning shrubs, it may look better to get rid of them altogether and replace with fresh mulch. If you decide to replace the old bushes, consider using a row of the same bushes to make a statement.
6. Fix the Sidewalk
If your sidewalk is cracked or uneven, it looks bad and can be a hazard for people sneaking up to your front door. Fortunately, fixing it is super affordable! For most simple repairs you can expect to pay around $80 per hour in labor costs. Once again, this requires very little skill on the part of the contractor.
7. Improve your Front Porch
If you want to make sure that people notice your home from the street, then one thing you can do is put a bit of effort into improving your front porch. Most homes have a fairly standard style, so if yours looks nicer than most, it might help potential buyers feel more positive about seeing what you have to offer inside. Add a wreath, some planters, or some potted plants to make it more inviting. If you want to be more ambitious, you could install a new porch light fixture for around $100.
8. Add More Flowers
Most people have heard the phrase ‘flowers brighten up any place’, and it’s very true in this case! Even if your front yard isn’t that large, planting a few flowering plants could do wonders for the way people perceive your home. It doesn’t have to be anything complicated, just one or two pots on your porch should be enough to make it look much better.
9. Fix the Driveway
One thing that looks bad even if you don’t have a front yard is an uneven and cracked driveway. This might not seem like the most important feature of your home, but it does give people a lot of clues about your property and it’s worth fixing if it’s bothering you enough. Hiring someone to fix up the driveway, including the sealing would cost around $50 per hour or more depending on local labor rates. You could get this done in a day if the job is bigger than expected!
10. Improve Your Windows
Finally, one of the easiest and cheapest ways to make a big impact with little effort is by improving your exterior windows. If they’re old, faded or broken, you might want to consider replacing all of them as opposed to just fixing them. A nice set of modern windows would cost somewhere between $50 and $200 per window depending on the size and features.
11. Paint Faded Areas and Use Bright Colors
Another DIY job that is simple and makes a huge difference to the look of your home from the outside is painting. If you have faded walls or other spots on your house, fixing them up by repainting could make a stunning difference without a big monetary cost.
12. Ask Your Realtor for Advice
People who have been in the business for a long time know exactly what makes a home look good from the outside. The local realtor should be able to give you some ideas of how to improve your property and not break the bank in the process.
There are a number of low-cost and easy ways to improve the outside appearance of your home. Whether you want to paint old or faded areas, plant flowers or bushes, change out windows, or just clean up some weeds from the front yard – it’s all doable with minimal effort on your part. The key is knowing what needs fixing first before investing in more expensive renovations that may not be necessary for now. By following these simple steps, you can have an attractive exterior without having to spend too much money!
