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First impressions do matter, especially in real estate. Buyers might be less likely to check out the rest of a house if the outside is rundown or unattractive, or the porch decor is lacking. Even if the interiors are stunning, a house that lacks curb appeal will feel unwelcoming to guests and potential buyers alike.
So if you’re selling your house (or plan to eventually), take a look at some top curb appeal ideas, including tips from pros and research from the real estate site Zillow. You’ll be ready to put your best house forward with these expert tricks.
What Is Curb Appeal, Exactly?
You know curb appeal when you see it. Yet sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly makes a particular house on the block so much more welcoming than the next. “You don’t need a big budget to create outstanding curb appeal,” says Deb Cohen, who runs the popular Instagram account @thefrontdoorproject.
What you do need is color and contrast, balance, and good old-fashioned TLC. “Contrast dictates what our eye sees first, like a pot of yellow flowers against red brick,” explains Paula Monthofer, a real estate agent in Flagstaff, Arizona. Balance—a thoughtfully composed garden bed and symmetrical window boxes—affects our first impressions more subtly. “Balance and symmetry convey stability,” Monthofer says.
Curb appeal goes way beyond what guests and neighbors have to say about the plants for the front of the house you’ve chosen. A few quick, inexpensive changes to your home’s exterior could help make the process of selling your home easier and faster. You might even add more value to the asking price.
“Even if you’re just looking to add a little extra pizazz to your home’s exterior, boosting your curb appeal can be quicker and easier than you might expect. You just have to pick the right projects,” says Kerrie Kelly of Kerrie Kelly Design Lab. “Many of these quick-fix projects can be done in an afternoon, and without professional help. But be careful—anything that requires electrical work, fencing, or major landscaping is best left to the experts.”
Paint Your Front Door
First on your to-do list should be the front door—use it (with the right front door colors) to greet any potential buyers. “Let your front door speak to your home’s style with a new coat of paint,” says Kelly. “A beautiful front door color can completely refresh your home.” You can go with a tried-and-true classic like black or charcoal, or pick a bold hue like bright red or yellow.
Replace Your Mailbox
It’s all about the details, so if your mailbox is rusty or looks like it’s going to topple over, it might be time to bring a new one in. Go with a color scheme that matches your house, and remember that your mailbox should be placed 6 to 8 inches back from the curb.
Update Street Numbers and Door Hardware
“Replace your street numbers,” says Christina Salway of 11211 Interior Design. “Don’t underestimate the impact of little details like swapping out junky old street numbers for something fresh and modern. It can be transformative and only takes about $15 and 15 minutes!” The same can be said for door hardware (doorknobs and door knockers).
Give Garage Doors a Lift
In many neighborhoods, garage doors dominate what you see from the street, but they often lack the detail or depth of the rest of the home. One fix that requires zero commitment (and almost as little effort) is temporary or magnetic decorative hardware. Accessories like handles, hasps, and faux window panels add interest and remain secure, says DIY expert Jenna Shaughnessy, creator of the blog Jenna Kate at Home. Try some magnetic hinges and handles ($14, homedepot.com).
Garage doors are also paintable, and shifting away from basic white (or worse, dingy whitish) can have a huge impact. Paint the garage to match your siding so it blends in (it can help that sometimes-eyesore disappear), or opt for the same contrasting shade as your front door.
This can be a weekend project if you use fast-drying exterior semigloss paint, like Sherwin-Williams SnapDry Door & Trim Paint. ($91, sherwinwilliams.com). Some door finishes may require a coat of primer first; ask at the store if you’re not sure. Save this project for mild, dry weather—not humid or rainy—so the paint can dry properly.
Create a Grand Entrance
Want to go big on the curb appeal? Add structures at the beginning of the path to your front door—an arbor, a trellis, a gate, or even a pair of columns with planters—to frame your front entrance. This fresh and verdant display of hydrangeas gives this home a brimming-with-life feel that makes you want to step inside and explore.
Add a Water Feature
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It doesn’t have to be big, fancy fountain to add wow factor to your yard. Even a small birdbath or a decorative bee and butterfly oasis can be a lovely touch and help turn your yard into a welcoming spot for wildlife.
Add Potted Plants
Plants can breathe some life into a space and make it seem lived-in and well-cared for. “Varying heights of annuals or perennials grouped together at either side of the walkway can make a huge statement for your curb appeal,” says Thee. And adding flowers can be a cost-effective way to bring a burst of color to your entrance.
Do a Thorough Cleaning
Cleaning your home’s outdoor living space, like the porch and patio, can also do wonders for your curb appeal. “Power-wash or hose down your exterior, driveway, and sidewalk,” says Leslie Ebersole, a real estate agent for Baird & Warner in Illinois’s Fox Valley region. Sponge down your porch furniture with warm water and a little dish soap.
Clean up Your Garden Edges
If your garden plants have started creeping into your lawn (or vice versa!), take the time to delineate the two. You can use hardscaping like slate or brick that adds to your front yard aesthetic, or use landscape border edging for a more invisible (but still sharp) border between the two.
Create a Cohesive Color Scheme
Consider your home’s paint colors when you’re choosing plantings (or vice versa). Choosing flowers or bushes that coordinate or match your paint colors (and each other) can give your home a polished, sophisticated look.
Refresh Your Outdoor Furniture
Any outdoor furniture that’s old and in need of repair should be tossed out or updated. “Try a quick coat of spray paint on front porch benches or outdoor seating to freshen it up,” Thee says.
Illuminate the Front Path
Don’t rely on a single post lamp or garage-mounted floodlight. “A clear path to your front door adds warmth and provides security,” says Gena Kirk, vice president of design for the development company KB Home. Rather than flanking the path runway-style, tuck solar-powered spotlights into garden beds and aim them along the walkway.
Change Your Light Fixtures
This can instantly improve the look of your home, both day and night. “Exterior lights are worth a little extra investment since they get quite a bit of abuse from the elements,” Cohen notes. “Inexpensive fixtures and hardware may show wear more quickly and need to be replaced much sooner.”
Choose brass or copper fixtures, which are typically more resistant to corrosion than aluminum ones; Hubbardton Forge and Rejuvenation offer sturdy picks trusted by architects and designers.
Think Outside the Lawn
While a swath of emerald lawn has been the go-to front yard look for years, the trend is heading toward a more natural (yet still absolutely gorgeous) front yard design. Whether you pull out the lawn to xeriscape and choose native, drought-resistant plants, opt for a lawn alternative like clover or simple stone, or replace your lawn with a wild English cottage garden, you’ll stand out from the pack of cookie-cutter lawns (and likely, make your yard more wildlife friendly and easier to care for, too).
Add Lighting to Parts of the Yard or House
Think of a specimen tree, the front porch, or a neat row of shrubs. Angle a spotlight or “bullet” light toward the canopy of a tree to add depth to your lighting scheme.
Or try moonlighting. “This is the opposite of uplighting,” says Blythe Yost, cofounder and head designer at Tilly, an online landscape-design company. “Place fixtures in trees so they shine down on the pathway and lawn for a soft, natural glow.”
Draw the Eye Up
Brighten up your entryway by adding visual interest higher in your tableau. Hanging planters, wind chimes, light fixtures, ceiling fans, or breezy curtains on your front porch or entryway can offer another way to add curb appeal.
Bring in New Bark or Stone
Mulch or pebbles doesn’t just give beds color and contrast—it also helps prevent the spread of weeds and keeps the soil moist. Avoid dyed mulches, which can contain contaminants, and go for simple materials native to your region, like tree bark or wood chips in the Northeast or crushed shells in Florida.
“Layer about 2 inches of fresh mulch onto your beds each spring; it’ll break down throughout the year and provide vital organic fertilizer for your plants,” Yost says.
Spruce up Your Shrubs
As for pruning, if your shrubs look “leggy,” or show more branches than greenery, they likely need some extra snipping. “You want to bring light and air to the plant so it grows on the inside as well as the outside,” Yost says. “This will make it denser and fuller.” It’s best to prune manually, using very sharp tools; motorized pruners simply skim the surface, which can lead to blocked light and poor air circulation.
Granted, not every shrub in your yard has to be pruned. Popular hedge plants, like boxwood, holly, taxus, privet, and cherry laurel, do become lush and neat with regular pruning, but other favorites—like junipers, spruces, and cedars—generally don’t respond well to it. Talk to an expert at your nursery or do a quick internet search to find out how much maintenance your plants require.
Balance the Garden Beds
The prettiest gardens are full of layers. Ideally, find a mix of evergreen and deciduous plants of different heights and textures. Put the tallest in the back and the lowest in the front.
“Consider plants with a vibrant impact, long-lasting blooms, or interesting foliage,” says Missy Henriksen of the National Association of Landscape Professionals. Daylily, hydrangea, and lavender are some of the easy-to-grow, flowering plants to elevate your home’s curb appeal.
Plant Around Eyesores
If you have a street sign, a curbside mailbox, or just want to hide your garbage cans on the side of your house, create plantings that can help disguise or draw the eyes away from them.
Make the Path to Your Door More Interesting
Rather than a straight path to your front door, let your path meander through your yard—and add decorative rocks or statues to add variety to your plantings.
Add Window Boxes
Pretty window boxes can add an extra dash of color and style to your house—and add plenty of curb appeal to your house. They come in colors and designs that suit different house styles.
Put out a (Stylish) Welcome Mat
When it comes to making your home more inviting, putting out a welcome mat is a no-brainer. It can add a little extra panache to the entranceway—and help keep dirt out of your house, too.
Accessorize Your Seating
To make an entryway seating more inviting, add outdoor pillows or a cozy throw to make it the perfect welcoming spot for your guests (or your morning cup of coffee). Add in small tables (and perhaps even an outdoor lamp) to make it picture perfect.
Deck out your Front Door
A seasonal wreath or other decorative element freshens up your doorway—and is an easy and inexpensive way to change up the look of your home. There are many front-door decor ideas that can make a big difference even if you’re on a tight budget.
Add a tree
Ornamental trees add gorgeous color and drama to your front yard, and many have smaller footprints, so they won’t take up too much real estate.
Change It Up Regularly
Your curb appeal game doesn’t have to be a one-and-done kind of deal. Swap out annuals as the seasons change (think pansies for spring, petunias for summer, mums for fall, and ornamental kale for winter), and of course, add in fresh holiday decor.
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