Whether you are selling your home, or you just want it to look its best, curb appeal is something that must be focused on. You can add quite a bit of value to your home with just a few simple fixes, but before you start, it is important to think about what your home’s curb appeal currently says, and what you would like it to say.

We all make assumptions based on what we visually perceive. If that weren’t the case, you wouldn’t be told not to judge a book by its cover. But the truth is, we do judge by exterior appearances, whether we realize it or not, and if your home is sending the wrong message, you may be driving off potential buyers. In order to get started, it’s a good idea to get in front of your house and take a picture.

We recommend this step because you may be missing things when you’re just looking at your house normally. We get inured to certain details, like that coil of hose you’ve been meaning to put away for three months, and we start to block out areas that may need a little help. By taking a photograph of your home from your curb, you’ll be getting a fresh perspective. You may also want to drive around and look for homes that evoke the response you’re looking for from your own home. Take pictures of them (if the owners don’t mind) and compare them.

Once you have your picture in front of you, write down your instant impression of your home. Is it welcoming, junky, a bit run down, elegant, happy….etc… Find the emotion that comes to mind first and this will be your starting point for making improvements. At this stage, it is a good idea to write down your goals so that you can keep them in front of you when you begin implementing the changes.

Now that you know what your home’s curb appeal says, it’s time to find out if you need to change that, and how to go about it. For example, if your first reaction was “wow, that is one messy yard,” you can start to take the steps to clean it up. Try focusing on one area at a time and take a picture each time your tasks are completed. This helps you keep a running log of your progress and will allow you to see what is changing from a different perspective.

It may take a few tweaks to get your home to the point where the first impression is where you want it to be. Just be patient and take your time. If you are under the wire and need to sell your house quickly, you may need to move a little faster and try to get more done at once until you have your desired result.

With a little effort and the right perspective, your home’s curb appeal can say exactly what you want it to.

Photo Credit: 1

Originally posted 2008-11-12 05:40:14. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Related Posts

• Home Repair Almanac By Edward Lipinski Regular maintenance is vital for any homeowner, especially if you want to reduce your chances for having a major problem down the road. But for first time homeowners, or even homeowners that have been down the road before, it’s tough to know when to schedule all of those little maintenance......
• How Your House Works by Charlie Wing If you have ever looked at a sink, a lamp or anything in your house and wondered how does that work this book has your answers. Any homeowner can benefit from learning more about how specific appliances and fixtures work, but there are not many resources that put it all......
• Caring For Your Old House By Judith Kitchen We loved the subtitle of this book, Respectful Rehabilitation, and this convinced us to give the book a try. There are more than enough wreckovating books out there, and for those that are interested in maintaining the charm of older homes, a book like this is a rare find indeed.......
• New Complete Guide to Landscaping: Design, Plant, Build by Better Homes and Gardens If you want to increase the value of your home, one of the best ways to go about it is to have your home professional landscaped. However, this is pretty costly and many homeowners, especially those with green thumbs, like the satisfaction of being able to do it on their......
• Review: Welcome Home: A Home Improvement and Decorating Organizer by Christina Poggi and Nick Beilenson Welcome Home: A Home Improvement and Decorating Organizer is released as a three ring binder, with each of its many pages ready to store information about your home. Included are pages for placing contact information for your realtor, repair people, utilities, and other important contact information. It will also help......

Related Websites

• Benjamin Franklin, the original personal finance blogger I just finished reading "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" which is actually just a collection of letters and papers from Franklin. The edition I read was out of print but you can find a similar version at amazon (The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin: Second Edition) or free online at......
• Home Improvement: Learn The Basics Home improvement means doing anything that improves your home. Home improvement makes your home more aesthetic, economical and valuable. Home improvement is a serious decision as it may involve serious costs and high personal effort. It is important to stay connected to your initial plan and to keep an eye......
• Four Safe Places To "Invest" Today This is a guest post from Jim over at bargaineering.com. Jim runs a tight ship over there and if you're looking for some good sound financial advice, his site is a great place to go. Feel free to subscribe to his RSS or check out his site for daily updates!......
• How To Change Your Life: Part 1 - Become Clear This is the first post in a series on how to change your life. If you want to change your life, there are several steps you need to take. Think of it as a formula for success. The first thing you need to do is to become clear about what......
• America, Welcome to the Poorhouse! Book Review I'm reviewing Jane White's new book, America, Welcome to the Poorhouse. Jane White is the founder of Retirement Solutions, LLC., whose goal is to push for 401(k) reform and provide investment education. I should mention that as I was reading this book, the theme of having 401(k) reform is pushed heavily......

Online Stores

• Maxwell House Coffee, Tea Advertising Collectibles
• US House of Reps US Political Historical Memorabilia Collectibles
• Picture Lights Lighting Fixtures Home Lighting

If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.


Categories:

Aesthetics, Curb Appeal, Handy Man

Tags:

assumptions, Curb Appeal, emotion, first reaction, improvements, perspective, photograph, selling your home, three months, truth, weren