Home maintenance ideas to improve curb appeal

Eager to spruce up the front of your home? Even a few simple touches will improve first impressions and curb appeal.

Man painting a home.

A home's exterior means everything for that crucial first impression, and if it's not a good one, you need to create curb appeal. Do it for yourself and fellow occupants — not to mention for potential buyers. But even if you're not selling, keeping up the lawn, landscaping and facade is an important part of being a good neighbor.

Here are some tips to spruce up your home's exterior:

  • Plant the right greenery. Your landscaping choices should enhance the house, not hide it. Use landscaping to call out features like a home's symmetry or to hide trouble spots. Consider choosing fire-resistant plants to help prevent the spread of wildfire to your home. As a bonus, these plants are often drought tolerant too. Be sure to keep all plants manicured and trimmed.
  • Repaint, replace or restore the front door and/or garage door. Something as simple as cleaning your front exterior door and garage door will greatly improve the look of the home. A new front door looks impressive, plus it can almost pay for itself in added resale value, according to the Remodeling 2020 Cost vs. Value Report.
  • Clean or update siding and windows. Cleaning your home's windows improve the curb appeal. Though expensive, updating siding and windows is one of the best ways to add value to a home. Keep the windows clean. And if you're selling your home, remove the screens for extra shine.
  • Freshen the front porch. A front porch is a key selling point. Keep the porch floor and railings in good condition and add comfortable furniture to make the porch inviting. Add easy-to-maintain landscaping, or placing potted planters near the front stairs. Add a pop of color by adding colorful pillows to eating areas or colorful outdoor furniture.
  • Capitalize on character. Maintain or bring your home's exterior back to its original aesthetic to highlight its features. For example, freshen up siding with period-appropriate paint colors or add a fence.
  • Install outdoor lighting. An effective security feature, exterior lights can also give your home a dramatic and attractive look at night.
  • Fix what's broken. Repair cracks in sidewalks, the driveway and masonry. Patching is an affordable alternative to a complete resurfacing job.
  • Paint exterior and trim. Painting or re-painting exterior or trim of a home is a relatively simple improvement that pumps up curb appeal.

The information in this article was obtained from various sources not associated with State Farm® (including State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates). While we believe it to be reliable and accurate, we do not warrant the accuracy or reliability of the information. State Farm is not responsible for, and does not endorse or approve, either implicitly or explicitly, the content of any third party sites that might be hyperlinked from this page. The information is not intended to replace manuals, instructions or information provided by a manufacturer or the advice of a qualified professional, or to affect coverage under any applicable insurance policy. These suggestions are not a complete list of every loss control measure. State Farm makes no guarantees of results from use of this information.
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