Any Real Estate Agent worth their salt would agree that curb appeal is one of the top things you need if you want to sell your house.  First impressions matter.  Curb appeal is simply the attractiveness of your home from the street or entrance.  If the first impression of your home is not so great, then the sale of your home has a disadvantage from the start.  How do you get that much needed curb appeal?  

First of all, take a look at your house from the street.  Take a look at it as you approach the front door.  

Take close notice of all the good aspects and all the aspects that could use attention.  

In these 2 photos, you’ll see an obvious Before and After of a home that was in need of curb appeal.

The most pressing issue was the front walk.  The existing walk was a nightmare of jumbled, uneven, unsafe stones that were unmaintainable as well.  Just imagine trying to shovel that walk!  If you were a prospective buyer, the front walk would be an immediate turn-off.  The existing plants were overgrown and had no sense of order.  In the After photo, you will see what a huge difference a new paver walk made, and also how the new planting bed is clean and neat now.  This is curb appeal.  

There are also simple, cheap things you can do in addition to more extensive projects such as this example.  If you just need a few details that make a difference, here are a few ideas.

• Keep the lawn neatly mowed
• Put a top dressing of mulch on the beds 
• Cut a clean edge on the mulch beds
• Keep the beds weeded
• Put a nice wreath on the door
• Make sure the mail box isn’t all rusty and crooked
• Put a couple of pots of pretty annuals on the front porch
• Hang a door knocker
• Paint the front door
• Add a nice door mat
• Plant a tree

So, just think of what you could do to boost your curb appeal.  Sometimes it doesn’t need to cost a fortune!