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Boost Your Home’s Value With Curb Appeal Upgrades Have you ever driven up to your home and felt under whelmed by its appearance? Have you ever wondered why some homes look great while others lack zest? Do you have a favorite street you like to drive down because all the homes on it look sophisticated?

What is Curb Appeal? If you've answered "yes" to any of the above questions, then you're the type of person who is aware of curb appeal. Curb appeal is a phrase used to describe how a home looks from the curb, or while driving by.

Curb appeal can be either positive or negative. A bland-looking house might have zero curb appeal. A cluttered yard detracts from a home's beauty while a well-maintained and manicured yard boosts a home's appearance and raises its perceived value.

Why is Curb Appeal Important? Good curb appeal is essential when preparing a home for sale so that it attracts passersby. When a potential buyer drives up to your home, your curb appeal will be the first thing noticed. An opinion of your property is formed in the first few seconds of viewing it. Make those seconds count by doing some curb appeal homework. Each home on a street has the potential to add or detract from the over arching tone of the neighborhood. It only takes one or two dowdy-looking homes to bring down the real estate prices on your street. Even if you aren't about to sell your home, you can raise its prestige and contribute to the reputation of your neighborhood by boosting its curb appeal.

How Do You Improve Curb Appeal? Great curb appeal doesn't just happen. With a little artistic flair or professional guidance, you can make simple changes to your home to give it the pizzazz you're looking for. Do your neighbors a favor, or at least do yourself a favor, by looking into what changes you can make.

Here's a list of suggestions: 1. Tackle and Touch-Up: No matter if your home looks a little worn from the previous owner or the ravages of time, take an inventory of needed improvements and identify steps to take that are within your current budget. Perhaps changing the home's siding isn't in the budget just now, but painting the trim might be a start.

2. Mend and Maintain: Mend fences, gates or porches in need of repair. Fix sidewalk cracks. Replace loose shingles, rusty mailboxes or scratched and dented doors. Cut back overgrown shrubbery. Mend and maintain a lush green lawn.

3. Professionalize and Prettify: Check out the latest landscaping trends pictured in home and real estate magazines or online, or visit a neighborhood that has had professional landscaping done in order to get a new ideas. Wide sweeping walkways and entrance-enhancing flowerbeds are key to taking your home from so-so to sensational. If you aren't talented or don't have the time or equipment for major landscaping tasks, hire a local landscaper.

4. Conceal Clutter: Create a place for everything and put everything in its place. Put away sports equipment, bicycles and other clutter after using it. If there's no room in your driveway or garage for your trailer or canoe, rent offsite storage space.

5. Accessorize and Accentuate: Add attractive items that are consistent with the style and colors of your home for that extra touch. Patio furniture, a garden bench, an attractive arbor, water fountain and in-season plantings add warmth and glamour.

6. Liven with Lighting: Light up your house address numbers and walkway. Add landscape lighting to accent your home's architecture and flowerbeds. If you're about to sell your home, done well, your improvements can be the deciding factor in your home selling quicker and for a higher price than a similar home on the market. Don't settle for the same old look you're used to seeing every time you drive up to your home. Increase its value by starting with some basic maintenance and upgrades and enjoy your home even more than you already do while boosting its curb appeal.

Written by Tina Fountain. Courtesy of Articlesbase.com