Curb Appeal On a Budget: 7 Easy Projects to Get Your Home Ready for Spring

There’s nothing like spring to make you self-conscious about your home’s state of repair. The changing weather has a way of revealing our winter laziness.

Curb appeal remains a vital part of a home’s value, however. If you want to maintain potential interest in your home, then you’ll need to indulge in some sprucing up when spring comes. But overhauling your curb appeal can seem daunting when you’re working to a budget.

Don’t panic. Here are 7 springtime projects to boost your curb appeal on a budget.

1. A Clean Sweep

A top-to-bottom cleaning project is one of the easiest and most obvious ways to gain instant curbside appeal. After all, there’s nothing appealing about a grimy house, and dirt has a way of building up over winter. By spring, even the cleanest house may have taken a beating.

Tackle your gutters, clean your windows, and wipe down your doors. There’s a strong chance you’ll have neglected some of these jobs over winter, so now’s the time to bring the shine back.

You can use this post as your guide to ensure you take of everything. Cleaning has the added bonus of being cost-effective, as most of the cleaning is something you’ll be able to tackle yourself.

2. Power Washing Pleasure

When is boosting curb appeal also fun? When it involves a power washer. If you’re ready to go deeper with your curbside clean, then power washing is the solution.

There’s something incredibly satisfying about blasting layers of grime and moss from paving to reveal its original color. And as a bonus, it’ll boost your curb appeal, too.

It’s easy to underestimate just how much of your curb appeal has disappeared behind the dirt, too, as you see it every day. Bust out the power washer and you’ll soon discover some surprises.

You can power wash everything from your paths to your siding to your decks, so once you get your hands on the power washer, you should take stock of which areas of your home may benefit from a spray down.

3. If It Is Broke…

Winter can do a number on your home’s exterior appeal and your home’s value with it. Harsh weather and a general disinterest in the outdoors can combine to leave outdoor items in a poor state of repair.

Consider replacing or repairing items like fencing and light fixtures if they’ve taken a beating over the winter months. Buying replacements can quickly cut into your budget, so try repairing what you can — even a small fix could be enough to keep a fence stable for another season, for example.

If you have damaged items that you can’t afford to replace, consider removing them altogether. You may not miss them, and damaged outdoor areas will do more to bring down your curbside appeal than empty space.

4. Welcome to the Jungle

Nobody likes doing yard work in winter, so it’s easy to let your shrubs and lawn go wild. But an overgrown yard is one of the fastest ways to bring down your curbside appeal. Luckily, it’s also an easy fix.

When spring comes, get out there with the pruners and the mower to bring your garden back in line. Pay particular attention to any encroachment on paths or public sidewalk, as this will make your homecare routine look sloppy.

This is also the perfect opportunity to indulge in some green-fingered landscaping for curb appeal. Try to sketch out an arrangement for your planters that will flatter your home and turn your yard into a feature. Comparatively, easy landscape projects could have a huge impact on your curb appeal.

5. The Light Fantastic

Lights: life’s cheat code for making something look nice.

It’s true, lights can go a long way to boosting your curbside appeal without breaking the bank. Lights above your doorway can create a nice, welcoming atmosphere. You can also try adding some lighting to your path, creating additional ambiance — with the added bonus of fewer trips, slips, and falls.

Of course, lights don’t help to show off your home’s best side during the day, but they’re an inexpensive way to give your home a makeover at night. Pay careful attention to which kind of lights you’re placing and where, and the difference can be, well, night and day.

6. The Eyes Have It

One of the most subtle yet powerful tricks in real estate is to control the direction of the eye. If you can create a particular path for the eye to follow, you can direct it to where you want it most. This is the real estate version of showing your best side.

There are many ways to do this, and the right formula will be individual to your home. But experiment with your paving, planter arrangements, and lighting to pull focus to where you want it — and maybe draw some attention away from the less desirable areas of your property.

7. Beat the Rest

Curb appeal philosophy is (stick with us here) not too dissimilar to running from a bear. In both cases, you don’t need to be the world’s best, you just need to be ahead of your nearest neighbors.

Your home may not have the best curb appeal in the city. But if you can beat the neighbors on your street, then you have comparative appeal on your side. By making your home the cleanest and neatest on the street, you’ll max out your curb appeal without going overboard.

Keep this tip in mind if you don’t have a lot of cash to spend but do have the motivation to scrub things up. Even small efforts can go a long way if you have neighbors who aren’t setting the bar high to begin with.

Curb Appeal on a Budget

These 7 tips provide some excellent ways to boost your curb appeal on a budget. But even keeping up with your basic maintenance goes a long way to maintaining your curbside appeal, so stay on top of your DIY projects to maintain your home’s sale potential.

Ready to sell your home? Let’s go through the steps you’ll need to take.

Previous post:
Getting Your Money's Worth: 10 Tips to Sell Your Home for More

Next post:
How Can Pest Control Services Benefit Your Property All Year Long?