Everyone wants their house to look beautiful. They’re expensive to buy and an expression of each homeowner’s personality. When clients are ready to improve their home’s first impression, suggest a few ideas that dazzle everyone at first glance.
These tips will make them stand out, no matter their architectural style or location.
1. Add a Statement Rug
Front porches often lack color. The front door is the primary focal point, but many homeowners would benefit from a statement rug. Encourage clients to add one tying in colors from their shutters or doors. They can also change it with the season so it becomes a themed part of their outdoor decorating scheme.
2. Start a Potted Garden
A home’s first impression can always improve with plants. Potted plants can vary in height and density, adding visual depth that pops. Clients could grow flowers or greenery around their porches.
They might also add indoor fiddle leaf figs or bamboo trees just inside their front windows if the glass panels are expansive enough to see through from the street.
3. Swap the Front Door
Front doors can seem like permanent home fixtures, but they’re easy to replace. Getting a new model can take years off a home’s appearance. Homeowners should consider if there’s a specific theme they prefer, such as full-lite glass or modern styles with sleek lines.
Remember, it’s important to be selective when someone’s choosing a new front door. A farmhouse style made with softer wood will last around 20 years when maintained, while a rustic option made with hardwood could last three times longer. A fiberglass or steel door could last the client’s entire life, so discuss the materials that work with their budget if they choose this curb appeal upgrade.
4. Install Mood Lighting
Lighting makes any space more welcoming. Yards typically have floodlights, but they cover an area in bright, harsh light. Alternative styles, like string lights on a porch or tiny lights along the front walkway, would soften a home’s appearance in the evenings. They create a soothing ambience that really boosts curb appeal.
5. Add Fresh Grass
Landscaping is key to improving a house’s first impression. Dead grass and decaying plants make anyone’s house look abandoned. Clients could add fresh grass seed or sod to uplift their home’s appearance with long-term results.
Adding grass also presents possibilities for additional, necessary projects. PVC piping under the yard could solve a client’s swampy lawn after thunderstorms by correcting their property’s drainage. If the client decides to rip out old grass to lay sod, they can use the exposed soil to their advantage and get their drainage work done before staking the squares in place.
6. Polish the Windows
Windows have a big impact on a home’s appearance. A house with dirty windows covered in dirt, rain droplet rivulets or allergens will distract people from their decorative additions. Cleaning the outside of the windows will immediately improve any property’s curb appeal. It should happen at least every quarter, but doing it even once will immediately make a home look nicer.
7. Replace the House Number
Most homes have a number by the front door or garage. Design clients could replace theirs with one custom-ordered from an artist. They might also love to cover their new house number with weatherproof paint. It adds a splash of personality either way, which might be what someone needs to make their residence the loveliest in the neighborhood.
8. Spray for Bugs
No one wants to spend time around bug infestations. Someone who wants to improve their home’s first impression should eliminate pests around their front door.
Remove cobwebs and dead bugs underneath porch furniture, then spray preventive products on the house’s exterior to keep them away. A professional pest control company can help with this curb appeal upgrade if a client’s home has too many bugs to handle.
9. Hang Outdoor Curtains
Curtains aren’t just for indoor areas, but people often forget that. Encourage clients to hang weather-resistant panels on their porches to dazzle everyone at their doorstep. They soften a home’s appearance and add texture to outdoor living spaces. As long as the homeowners wash the curtains every few months, they will never get moldy.
10. Clean the Gutters
Every house needs gutters, but people often forget about them. Overflowing leaves or pine needles will affect curb appeal. Homeowners planning exterior design upgrades must remember the gutters. They can climb a ladder to clean them or hire a contractor to do so while inspecting the roof for water damage.
Improve Any Home’s First Impression
Anyone can improve their home’s first impression with strategic, simple design ideas. Efforts like enhancing the landscaping, upgrading the front door and softening the house’s appearance with lighting changes are easy ways to make a lasting statement. It all depends on what each homeowner wants to do and their design preferences.
