Believe it or not, the first thing a potential buyer looks at in a home is the outside. If they do not like what they see, more than likely they are not going to consider looking on the inside or even purchasing the home.

Most buyers cannot or will not visualize changes, so it is up to the home owner to make these changes. If a potential home buyer does want to make changes, then they sometimes want you to lower the price of the home to compensate for the changes made to the home.

There are some things home owners can do to add curb appeal to the home.
* Install a new front door, something with an attractive glass.
* Put a fresh coat of paint on the home.
* If the garage faces the road, replace the old door, or apply a fresh coat of paint.

Home owners can also add curb appeal to the home by adding some lighting.
* Add low voltage down the driveway and sidewalks
* Add an attractive porch light
* Strategically place outdoor lighting in flower beds and under windows to show off the home at night

A homes lawn is important to curb appeal. Potential buyers will not want a home with an unattended lawn. Plant flowers in the flower beds, and be sure to plant some with colorful blooms. The lawns should be well attended with no brown or bare spots. Having pets in the yard can also damage the lawn; especially if they dig holes. Make sure all limbs are cleaned up. When a home is being shown, be sure to put all water hoses, toys and lawn furniture away.

It is also important to keep trees neatly trimmed. Don't let limbs hang too low to the ground or scrape on the roof of the home.

There are other important things to look at when adding curb appeal to your home.
* Make sure the driveway does not have cracks or oil stains.
* Driveways should be clutter free.
* Depressions in the driveway should be repaired.
Another way to add curb appeal and value to your home is to add concrete curbing and landscape curbing. Basically all this is doing is adding some concrete edging along your curb or around flowerbeds. You can add curbing around just about anything, just be sure not to over do the curbing, adding too much to your landscape can make the lawn appear cluttered.

Making your home feel like home is an important step in adding curb appeal. Decorate for the season; add wreaths, pumpkins, whatever the season is, spice it up.

If painting your home is out of your budget, there are a few things that can be done that will add to your home. Try replacing door hardware, house and mailbox numbers with new ones. Instead of paining the entire home try repainting the shutters and trim. Adding some new bright color to the front door can brighten up the home as well.


Ki's website brings a free search of the Austin MLS for future homebuyers. Additionally, there is detailed information about Austin real estate and Cedar Park real estate. He works, and lives, in Austin, Texas.