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: 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, 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.” Take a look at top curb appeal ideas, including tips from pros and research from real estate site Zillow. You’ll be ready to put your best house forward with these expert tricks. 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 a fast-drying exterior semigloss paint, like Sherwin-Williams SnapDry Door & Trim Paint. 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. 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. RELATED: 3 Low-Effort Ways to Boost Your Home’s Curb Appeal
