We all know that curb appeal is crucial when selling a house. First impressions count, with most people making up their minds about a home even before they’ve stepped inside.
If you’re reading this, you already know that your curb appeal could be improved. Perhaps your home looks a little tired, or maybe you just want to stand out from neighboring properties a bit more. The problem many homeowners face, though, is that they don’t have much time to work on their home’s curb appeal. In many cases, you may only have a weekend to spruce up the house before it goes on sale.
If that is you, don’t worry too much about only having a weekend. We’ve spoken to several real estate professionals, all of whom had helpful tips for making a big difference in just a single weekend. Most of these quick curb appeal upgrades are very easy and don’t require any specialist skill. Some of them are obvious, while others will be small details you likely have overlooked but that will make a surprisingly big difference.
Ready to give your home the curb appeal it deserves in just 48 short hours? Here’s what you’ll need to do.
1. Repaint your front door
Your front door is your calling card. It is the first thing anybody visiting your home notices, and updating it can dramatically impact your home's overall curb appeal. Seamus Nally, real estate expert and CEO at TurboTenant points out that front doors have such a big impact on how your home is perceived because front doors 'are the central element that eyes are drawn to.' If you think about it, it's true: the front door is pretty much exactly at the center of your house, and eye level to boot.
Despite this fact, many homeowners neglect their front doors, leaving many years before repaintings, which results in front doors that ‘look both outdated and worn due to weather factors’, says Seamus. His advice is to paint your door a statement or new color,' he says. 'You can expect a big impact, even though it’s a small area comparatively and doesn’t take much effort.’ Don’t just go for the same color the door has always been: go a bit bolder this time, exploring front door color ideas that harmonize with the overall look of your property.
2. Add plants around the entrance to your home
Updated front yard landscaping can go a very long way to enhancing your curb appeal. The great thing is you don't need to spend longer than a weekend - or a ton of money, for that matter - achieving impressive results. The devil is in the detail.
Your first move should always be to add high-impact, seasonal flowers and plants. A home that is bursting with natural color and foliage around the entrance is much more appealing than a bare entrance with just a lawn. Even people who don’t have a green thumb will appreciate a few plant pots: after all, if they don’t feel like maintaining them they could always just remove them.
And while we’re on the subject of plant pots, Haley Bartlett, realtor at Your Aussie Agent, has a great, simple tip to enhance your curb appeal even more: choose ‘a new ceramic pot that matches the door color along with seasonal plantings can help a home stand out.’
Matching your landscaping colors and front door color creates an elegant and put-together look that buyers will appreciate.
Finally, you can think a bit beyond seasonal plantings, if you have a little bit more time and patience during your curb makeover weekend. Nikki Beauchamp, an Associate Broker at Sotheby’s International Realty, recommends ‘choosing appropriate greenery that can be somewhat easily maintained beyond the photo shoot.’' This is a very important point: while buyers are impressed by a well-maintained yard, they will want to know how realistically they can maintain it. So, choose low-maintenance shrubs and trees that you can actively advertise as such.
It goes without saying that all shrubs should be trimmed: a luscious garden adds curb appeal, but an overgrown one detracts from it. And don't forget to mulch: all of our experts agree that fresh, colorful mulch enhances curb appeal.
3. Give your facade and driveway a power wash
As Haley Bartlett emphasizes, ‘a pressure washer can be such a handy tool to have.' If you don’t have a pressure washer already, get one. A good-quality pressure-washer, such as the Kärcher K1700 Max, from Amazon will make a huge difference to how your whole property looks. There’s a lot you can accomplish with one over a weekend, too. Haley recommends focusing on getting rid ‘of built-up dirt, spider webs, and leaves. Be sure to pressure wash the driveway too. This will leave your home looking fresh and new.’
You don’t have to buy a power washer if you don’t want one. Blake Bahut, Broker Associate & Realtor at Realty ONE Group, tells us that you can get a service to power wash your house for a few hundred dollars, or ‘you could rent one from your local hardware store and DIY.’ Whichever route you choose, don’t skip this part, especially when it comes to power washing your driveway: ‘There is a distinct difference between a dirty driveway and a clean one as people walk toward the front door’, says Blake.
You can even use a pressure washer to clean your windows, however, make sure you do so on the lowest pressure setting.
4. Get a new mailbox
‘This is something that many don't think about, but it can change the way people view the house before they even drive up in front of it’, Blake Blahut stresses. A new mailbox will cost you ‘a few hundred bucks and maybe a few hours over a weekend,' but the payoff is big. In fact, Blake goes as far as to say that replacing an old mailbox is ‘ is one of the most overlooked curb appeal upgrades there is.’ This Gaines - Keystone Series Mailbox from Amazon is a beautiful choice.
Don’t want to get a new mailbox? Paint your existing one. Even that will catch people’s attention and signal that your property is well looked after.
5. Add porch seating
Got a front porch? Even if you don’t use yours much, create a cozy and inviting porch look by getting a couple of porch seats. A big part of enhancing your home’s curb appeal is helping people imagine how they could be using their new space, so adding porch seats shows potential buyers 'how they can be enjoying the porch when they move in’, according to Haley Bartlett.
6. Update you outdoor lighting
Great outdoor lighting is invaluable for enhancing your home’s curb appeal. Think of it as stage lighting of sorts: use it to accent your home’s best features, making it easy for potential buyers to appreciate the best of what the house has to offer.
Blake Balhut believes that the effort of installing new garage and exterior lights is well worth the huge payoff: ‘For as little as a hundred or several hundred dollars (depending on how fancy you want to go) and a couple of hours, you can make your house really standout from the rest of your neighbors on the street.’
And even if you’ll be conducting viewings during the day, potential buyers will notice nice new lighting fixtures, whether it’s an elegant front porch light or whimsical solar garden lighting.
7. Update your house numbers
Believe it or not, even something as tiny as replacing your house numbers with something more chic and modern can significantly enhance your home’s curb appeal. Talyn Provo, real estate agent at Douglas Elliman, recommends replacing old house numbers with ‘modern, easy to read ones.’ This is a quick and easy job, but it helps create a positive first impression.
FAQs
Can I improve my curb appeal without plants?
If you feel like you don’t have time to create a new planting scheme, or you simply don’t have the time to water new plants, there are other things you can do to create an inviting look once you’ve cleaned everything. Talyn Provo recommends focusing on the following accents:
- Decorative features: consider adding a garden flag, birdbaths, or decorative stones.
- Outdoor rugs: ‘Place a durable outdoor rug on a porch or patio area for added color and texture.’
- Seasonal Decor: ‘hang a wreath on your front door for a welcoming touch!’
Do I need to hire someone to upgrade my curb appeal in a weekend?
If you only have a single weekend free to upgrade your curb appeal, you may be wondering whether you realistically have the time to do it all before the viewings commence.
The answer will depend on how many of you there are in your household. Cindy Raney, a Global Luxury Property Specialist and founder of Cindy Raney & Team, ‘While hiring a handyman, painter, or landscaper can be helpful, many of these tasks can be tackled by a family over a weekend.’
Even if yours is a family of two, you can accomplish most of the curb appeal upgrades we’ve outlined without additional help. If you are selling your home on your own and have a little extra budget, you likely will find that hiring a professional or two will make the weekend-long upgrades much more achievable.
Many of these beautiful garden ideas will even work to make a backyard look nice, too.
