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Increasing the Curb Appeal of Your House
- By Brenda Williams
- Published 07/31/2009
- General
Have you ever driven through a really nice neighborhood just so you could drool over the gorgeous homes? Have you ever wondered if someone does the same thing to your house? If you don't think that they do, then there are ways to turn this around. Unfortunately, we can't always force our neighbors to be a little cleaner, but we can improve our own house with the hopes that the idea will catch on with the rest of the neighborhood (if they aren't already taking care of their houses).
Increasing the curb appeal of your house can start with something as simple and as small as a can of paint. You would be amazed at how far a can of paint can go to increase the appeal of your home as well as increase the resale value. Other things that you can do externally to your house include maintaining the lawn and garden area (if there is one). The last thing that people want to see is lawn that is unkempt. There have been a few times when I've gone running or walking by houses and wondered if the house was abandoned only to be surprised and somewhat disgusted when someone actually walks out of the front door to get into their car. How can people let their properties go like that? Aren't they embarrassed?
If for no other reason, you should want to increase the curb appeal of your house because your home should be a place that welcomes you when you pull into the driveway. It should be a testament to all of the hard work you have put into it to be able to afford such a lovely place. That being said, you should take care to always maintain things this way you aren't faced with a day where you've suddenly discovered that over the years, everything has fallen apart. If you don't have a fence, you should consider getting one- especially if you have children or pets. Fences not only offer you privacy, but it helps to keep other wild animals off of your property. When choosing a fence, you should opt for a wooden fence, since it has one of the best retail values. The absolute worst fence that you could get is a chain link fence. Not only do chain link fences look trashy, but statistically, chain link fences lower the resale value of your home, not to mention the fact that it decreases the resale value of your neighborhood.
When maintaining your lawn, invest in or rent a lawn edger so that you can go along the edges of your lawn and achieve the neatest look possible. The last thing you want is lawn that is mowed but isn't neatly contained on the edges. If you have an old, broken down car, consider getting rid of it or moving it so that it is in no way, shape, or form visible on your property. In some neighborhoods, having an inoperable, broken down car parked in the street or even in your driveway is not allowed because it drags the neighborhood down. On that note, you should never work on your car in your driveway or anywhere on your property. You can wash your car, however. If you have oil spills or other stains in your driveway, it is advisable that you remove them by simply going to the hardwood store and purchasing the chemical solution to do so. All of this and more will drastically help to improve the curb appeal of your home.
Increasing the curb appeal of your house can start with something as simple and as small as a can of paint. You would be amazed at how far a can of paint can go to increase the appeal of your home as well as increase the resale value. Other things that you can do externally to your house include maintaining the lawn and garden area (if there is one). The last thing that people want to see is lawn that is unkempt. There have been a few times when I've gone running or walking by houses and wondered if the house was abandoned only to be surprised and somewhat disgusted when someone actually walks out of the front door to get into their car. How can people let their properties go like that? Aren't they embarrassed?
If for no other reason, you should want to increase the curb appeal of your house because your home should be a place that welcomes you when you pull into the driveway. It should be a testament to all of the hard work you have put into it to be able to afford such a lovely place. That being said, you should take care to always maintain things this way you aren't faced with a day where you've suddenly discovered that over the years, everything has fallen apart. If you don't have a fence, you should consider getting one- especially if you have children or pets. Fences not only offer you privacy, but it helps to keep other wild animals off of your property. When choosing a fence, you should opt for a wooden fence, since it has one of the best retail values. The absolute worst fence that you could get is a chain link fence. Not only do chain link fences look trashy, but statistically, chain link fences lower the resale value of your home, not to mention the fact that it decreases the resale value of your neighborhood.
When maintaining your lawn, invest in or rent a lawn edger so that you can go along the edges of your lawn and achieve the neatest look possible. The last thing you want is lawn that is mowed but isn't neatly contained on the edges. If you have an old, broken down car, consider getting rid of it or moving it so that it is in no way, shape, or form visible on your property. In some neighborhoods, having an inoperable, broken down car parked in the street or even in your driveway is not allowed because it drags the neighborhood down. On that note, you should never work on your car in your driveway or anywhere on your property. You can wash your car, however. If you have oil spills or other stains in your driveway, it is advisable that you remove them by simply going to the hardwood store and purchasing the chemical solution to do so. All of this and more will drastically help to improve the curb appeal of your home.
