The overall outside appearance of a home is a pretty significant factor for most people when looking for the perfect home to buy. The exterior value of a home, or curb appeal, is higher the more attractive a home is at first glance. As with many situations in life, the first impression can be a pretty big deal, especially when dealing with purchasing a home. Issues like driveway cracks, patchy grass in the lawn, and faded/peeling paint along the home can all be immediate causes of concern when assessing the physical exterior of a home. 

Typically when people see a home that looks unkempt on the outside, they will assume it will look the same way on the inside and won’t be as interested in exploring the home further. 

Many of those putting their homes out on the market may not pay as much attention to the curb appeal, because it may not seem like one of the most important things. However, as mentioned previously, the curb appeal is the first impression potential home buyers come across. A poor/bland curb appeal can make a home easily forgettable, but a home with clean and unique curb appeal could just be the deciding factor on whether or not to purchase the home! Curb appeal can also go hand in hand with the perceived value of a home, because any issues can come across as a reduction in value of the home overall. 

Tips + Tricks for Winter Curb Appeal this Season

The winter months can be some of the trickiest when it comes to keeping up the maintenance of our homes, even more so when you could be preparing to put out a home on the market! The winter months can also be a time to get creative and maybe change up the design of your home overall. Check out a few tips to help you create the perfect winter curb appeal that will leave potential home buyers wanting to see even more!

Maintenance of the Front Lawn

Depending if you are from a warmer climate or more of a colder climate, the maintenance that needs to be put into the front lawn will differ. Here are some tips to keep your lawn looking as beautiful as ever when it comes to warmer climates, or during the warm months in the spring and summer:

• Mow Grass Weekly: The first tip when it comes to striving for a beautiful lawn is mowing your grass regularly. Mowing your lawn at least once a week is considered a standard lawn care routine.
• Sprinklers: You should water your lawn better two-three times a week to keep it healthy.
• Weed Control: One of the major nuisances home owners face are weeds. They can be hard to kill, and it often seems like they just keep growing back over and over again. Weekly mowing, fertilizing, and deep watering of the lawn are some things you can do to prevent those weeds from coming back.

In the winter months however, things are a bit different for colder climates because the lawn is usually covered with snow! However, there are still things you have to do to maintain the front lawn area of your home. Make sure that you are keeping up with shoveling snow and taking care of the walkways. This may include putting some salt down so that any potential visitors are able to get to your home easily without worrying about falling. Since the grass will be mostly covered, consider finding evergreen plants or artificial shrubs to add in a bit of the greenery to your home’s exterior. For example, go with natural materials like stone, terracotta, and marble. These are great materials for counters, bathtubs, tables, and shelving. Moreover, consult an artificial grass Hollywood FL dealer and give your outdoor space a makeover with artificial grass. Since the grass will be mostly covered, consider finding evergreen plants or artificial shrubs to add in a bit of the greenery to your home's exterior. Since the grass will be mostly covered, consider finding evergreen plants or artificial shrubs to add in a bit of the greenery to your home's exterior. You can also consider installing artificial grass in Highland, CA, as it's affordable and low-maintenance.

Organize the Garage

Garages are often used as storage spaces for many, leading the area to often become cluttered and messy. However, the garage can sometimes be the first thing a potential home buyer will notice when visiting. 

‍Ways to Organize and Upkeep the Garage:

• Using shelves and a system of stacking boxes in your garage can help the space feel larger overall.
• To keep the garage clean you can sweep the floor of all litter, and remove any oil/grease/paint marks if you spot any.
• If you have an excessive amount of garden and yard tools, think about adding a small shed where you can keep them instead.

Front of the Home

What better way to leave a good impression than doing a little bit of redesign on the porch/front door area! Even though you probably won’t be using the porch area too much throughout the winter months, you can put in some work to help make it look a little bit less abandoned. If you haven’t done so already, consider adding in some furniture, a swing, lamp, pillows, and even a nice doormat. These additions can help bring some life back to your home throughout the cold and dark months of trying to sell your property.

Another area that is right by the front porch is the front door of course! Do the colors look faded or cracked? Do you notice lots of other stains/marks? This is the perfect time to fix those problems and work on adding in some other aesthetics. You can add in some different colors by painting, and you can also find a door handle that might look a little bit fancier. 

Outdoor Lighting

Winter is the time for some great holidays, which can mean lots of decorating! Check out some of the best ways to add some light and joy to your home this winter season.

‍Trees

Adding some small fake trees with lights to your home is an easy way to decorate and add in more of that shine during the winter months. You can also add lights to any trees that may be present in your yard already, to add a little bit more holiday magic into the air!

‍Lanterns

Lanterns offer bold lighting that are best to use on a walkway or stairway, that come in a variety of different shapes and sizes to add a bit of a unique twist to your outdoor lighting efforts. 

‍Wreaths/Garland

Of course you can’t forget about wreaths or garland to add some light to the home, especially during the holidays! You can place wreaths on your front door, around the home, and you can hang some garland up as well. Add in some lights and you’ve got some great decorations!

Change the Exterior 

Certain features of a home can be a turn off for potential buyers. Common things that can turn someone off include roof shingles, vinyl or wood siding, and discolored brick. Make sure to pressure wash any dirt/grime if possible and ensure gutters are free from any noticeable wear.

‍Painting 

Paint is a great tool for you to use if you’re looking to add some life back into a house. Whichever paint you use, it’s important to make sure that it matches the rest of the house’s style. Adding in a little bit of a brighter, lighter, and more contemporary color is the best bet when looking to enhance the style overall.

‍Update Roof

The condition of a roof says a lot overall about a home, and whether or not the rest of the home lives up to that same condition. There are different ways you can make your roof look more up to date, starting with the shingles! If you have traditional asphalt shingles, consider opting for architectural roof shingles instead to add in some more dimension and reflect some of those UV rays. If your home has more of an older style overall, you can consider opting for a tile roof. Roof tiles are a lot more durable than clay tiles, and also come in lots more different shapes and styles. 

‍Enlarge Windows

Some homes are designed with far fewer windows installed than others. Windows are often looked at as the eyes of the home, and having not enough windows can create some significant problems. Consider enlarging the windows you already have or adding a bay window to help add some dimension to your exterior overall. 

‍Add in a Fence

Adding in a fence around a home has a number of potential benefits, including keeping kids and pets safe along with benefitting your curb appeal. 

Update Address/Mailbox

Many of us don’t pay very close attention to the overall status of our mailboxes, since we primarily are using them just to get our mail! However, it may be beneficial towards your curb appeal this season to clean and switch up the design of that mailbox. First, you should look for a design that goes well with the home’s architecture. Modern House Numbers and Etsy are some great resources to get some ideas flowing and update the address number of the home. You can also easily replace existing mailboxes at various hardware stores including Home Depot and Lowes. 

Planning on selling a home sometime this winter season? Hopefully this guide has given you some ideas on creating some fabulous winter curb appeal this season. Which tip do you think applies to your home best?