Curb appeal refers to the first impression a house makes when viewed from the street. Increasing a property’s curb appeal attracts more homebuyers and interest, with many studies showing that curb appeal can add between 5.5% and 19% to a home’s sale price. I’ve gathered some of the best curb appeal ideas—from exterior lighting ideas to front door makeovers—to help you and your listing clients make strategic improvements, increasing the value of each property you are trying to sell.
Landscaping Curb Appeal Ideas
Landscaping doesn’t have to be extremely difficult, expensive, or over the top to make a big difference. A house with clean and updated landscaping is a house with curb appeal. In fact, agents who are successful in real estate know when it comes to landscaping, less is often more.
1. Clean Up All Landscaping
- Price range: $170 to $450
- Difficulty level: Easy, can be a do-it-yourself (DIY) project or hired for an affordable price
Having established landscaping is a great home feature, but it requires consistent maintenance. When homeowners fall behind on maintaining the landscaping by trimming bushes, shrubs, or pulling weeds, it can make the entire home appear disheveled.
Cleaning up the landscaping is one of the most basic and most important curb appeal ideas for the front of the house, whether the greenery has been there for months or decades. This is an important step for every listing agent, so make sure this step is an integral part of your real estate listing checklist.
2. Add Edging to the Flower Beds
- Price range: $3 to $8 per foot
- Difficulty level: Easy DIY job
Edging is one of the best curb appeal landscaping ideas because it is simple, affordable, and extremely impactful. Adding edging clearly defines a space and makes your flower beds and shrubs look intentional and complete. Since one of the most important elements of selling a home for the best value is to make it look clean and fresh, edging is an ideal strategy for agents and homesellers.
Plus, edging is versatile, with many different types of materials and styles available. Materials like rubber and brick can be found at a local nursery, hardware store, or Amazon. Even concrete can create a nice curb appeal.
3. Add Fresh Mulch
- Price range: 40 cents to 60 cents per square foot for installation
- Difficulty level: Easy DIY project
Along with cleaning up a messy garden area, it’s important to finish the area with fresh mulch before showings. This is an extremely easy curb appeal update that automatically makes the landscaping—and the property—pop. Plus, rubber mulch comes in various colors, requires only a few minutes of time to lay, and bags cost as little as $4 at hardware stores all year-round.
4. Create Unique Flower Beds With River Rocks
- Price range: Individual bags cost around $5 to $30, and installation for a full landscaping project can cost between $350 and $1,500
- Difficulty level: Easy, can be a DIY project for a small area or hired for a large area
If you want to create modern curb appeal, consider updating flower beds with landscaping rocks instead of mulch. River rocks, lava rocks, and other stones give houses a modern look that can be customized with different colors and sizes. Like mulch, landscaping stones can prevent weeds, which is a big bonus for buyers who want low-maintenance landscaping, including homes in arid climates.
5. Create a Path to the Front Door
- Price range: $100 to $1,000
- Difficulty level: Medium, can be a DIY project or hired for more in-depth improvements
Another simple yet essential curb appeal tip is to establish a path to the home’s entry from the road or driveway. This adds a more welcoming touch to the home, visually improves the first impression, and adds a functional path. When buyers come to visit the listing, they’ll notice immediately if the home doesn’t have a pathway to the door or if it is not well-maintained.
If your listing already has a pathway to the front door, consider how it could be enhanced or improved. This could mean adding edging, river rocks, mulch, or simply lining it with potted plants or solar lights. On the other hand, a professional landscaper or concrete company could line the path with trees, hedges, and flowers, or remake the pathway.
6. Incorporate Rainscaping
- Price range: $1 to $5 for DIY or $10 to $20 per square foot for professional installation
- Difficulty level: Medium, can be a DIY project or hired for an affordable price
If you’re looking for unique curb appeal ideas for your listing clients, rainscaping might be a perfect solution. Rainscaping is a modern landscaping trend that collects and directs water runoff, producing both environmental and economic benefits. By redirecting runoff using rocks, rain barrels, rain chains, and other elements, rainwater is prevented from puddling and from polluting drains. Instead, it’s saved and directed to flower beds, gardens, lawns, and other areas.
Rainscaping can create good curb appeal and add a functional element to the home, making it a great idea for the back of the house or the front. When your listing clients incorporate unique suggestions like this, make sure you take before and after photos and use these improvements as you market yourself to other homesellers. For more tips to nurture homeseller leads, read our guide on how to get real estate listings.
Home Exterior Curb Appeal Ideas
Some of the best curb appeal tips are relatively simple tasks most homeowners don’t think about or complete on a regular basis. By paying attention to home features easily forgotten by homeowners, you can suggest simple updates and upgrades that transform the house’s appearance from the street view.
7. Pressure Wash the Driveway
- Price range: $100 to $500
- Difficulty level: Easy, can be a DIY project or hired for an affordable price
Driveways and sidewalks are designed to be low maintenance, so they usually don’t get much attention from homeowners. However, driveways that are particularly dirty or stained can actually appear damaged. By pressure washing the driveway, pathway, deck, fence, and siding, the home will look brighter and fresher. It’s incredibly impactful for such a small cost, so power washing the home (or hiring someone to power wash exterior areas) could be something you suggest or even a service you provide as a seller’s agent.
Keep in mind that driveways are usually clearly visible in listing photos and can even take up a significant part of the photos. This curb appeal tip may seem like a low priority, but it has a surprisingly large impact on potential buyers and visitors who attend the open house. Power washing should be a regular item on your real estate listing and/or open house checklist.
8. Clean the Roof
- Price range: 20 cents to 70 cents per square foot
- Difficulty level: Hard, recommended to hire a professional
Just like a driveway, a house’s roof is clearly visible in real estate photography and heavily impacts how the house looks. While home inspectors will look closely at the functionality of a home’s roof, homebuyers forming a first impression of a house will primarily be thinking about its appearance. Cleaning the roof can improve the entire home’s exterior curb appeal and prevent deterioration. You may not even realize how much dirt is visible on the home’s roof until it has been cleaned.
If you’re a new real estate agent, one of the best tips for your career is to develop a list of trustworthy home professionals to recommend. Create relationships and partnerships with contractors, handymen and women, home painters, roofers, plumbers, electricians, and other home service professionals. This is a great way to build your network, build trust with your clients, and build real estate referrals.
9. Stencil a Concrete Porch
- Price range: $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot
- Difficulty level: Medium, typically completed by DIY-ers
Concrete patios and porches aren’t necessarily an eyesore, but they don’t contribute to a home’s overall curb appeal. An extremely affordable way to change this is by painting a pattern on it with stencils. Stencils mimic the look of tile or brick and instantly add personality to the home. This is one of the most affordable curb appeal tips you can offer to homesellers, which can significantly increase buyers’ interest in the home.
10. Spruce Up Your Mailbox
- Price range: $60 to $385
- Difficulty level: Medium, can be a DIY project or hired for an affordable price
Since mailboxes are placed closer to the road where people walk or drive, it is a notable feature of the home. If a home’s mailbox is damaged or dated, you have an opportunity to capture potential buyers’ attention by making some simple upgrades. Encourage the homeowners to get creative by adding stone and brick facades, brick platforms, and flowers to complement the rest of the home’s curb appeal updates. It’s a low-cost project that can lead to some of the best curb appeal on the block.
11. Update the Front Door
- Price range: $368 to $1,378 for professional installation, $100 to $250 to paint a front door
- Difficulty level: Easy, can be a DIY project or installed by a professional
When considering some front home ideas to sell a house, painting the front door is arguably one of the most common curb appeal ideas discussed. The front door has a major impact on a house’s appearance, and improvements are usually extremely easy to make.
For instance, a quick refresh with paint or even replacing the front door or the door’s hardware can instantly refresh the whole look of a home’s exterior. If you want to generate real estate leads who are tech-friendly, consider upgrading the hardware to include electronic entry and smart hardware.
12. Disguise Unsightly Trash Cans & Utility Boxes
- Price range: Enclosure ranges from $350 to $800
- Difficulty level: Medium; can be a DIY project for handy homeowners, hired for an affordable price, or purchased
All homes have essential items that just don’t look pretty, like trash cans, air conditioning (A/C) units, water meters, or electrical boxes. Instead of leaving these eyesores out in the open, there are various ways to disguise or hide them.
For example, many utility boxes can be painted to blend in with the house. On the other hand, trash cans can be hidden away using wood panels, lattice enclosures, and portable storage units. The homeowner could hire a local carpenter or handyman to build or purchase them from Amazon or local hardware stores.
13. Refresh the Garage Door
- Price range: $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot
- Difficulty level: Hard, can be a DIY project or hired for an affordable price
For homes with garages, make sure you evaluate the visual appeal of the garage doors. Garage doors take up a lot of visual space and undeniably play a big part in a buyer’s first impression of the home. Luckily, there are many ways to give a makeover to a garage door without spending thousands of dollars. There are times when homeowners may need to replace them. Most garage doors can be transformed with paint, a gel stain, or garage door cover panels.
14. Bring New Life to an Old Fence
- Price range: $750 to $4,250 to refinish a fence, $100 to $350 to pressure wash
- Difficulty level: Easy to medium, can be a DIY project or hired to a professional
Fences are a great feature for any home, but they also require significant time and money to maintain. When you visit your listing for the first time, pay attention to the fence’s condition. If any repairs or maintenance work needs to be done, make sure to include this in your suggestions for listing clients. Specify whether the fence needs to be pressure washed, repaired, repainted, or restained. Make sure you clarify with the homeowner whether they want to hire a professional or make the improvements themselves.
15. Repaint the Home’s Exterior
- Price range: $1.50 to $4 per square foot
- Difficulty level: Hard, best for professional painters, but can be a DIY project for especially handy homeowners
All houses experience environmental wear and tear that requires periodic maintenance. Over time, the color and condition of a house’s exterior will fade or be damaged, and a new coat of paint can bring it back to life. While painting a home’s exterior isn’t the easiest or most affordable way to improve curb appeal, it is arguably one of the most impactful.
In fact, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Remodeling Impact Report shows that homeowners who painted their houses claimed it improved the functionality and livability of their homes by 52%. They also rated exterior siding as their favorite home improvement project. Regarding curb appeal, impact equals increased return on investment (ROI).
16. Add Faux Brick or Stone Panels
- Price range: $4 to $10 per square foot for brick veneer, $6 to $9 per square foot for faux stone
- Difficulty level: Hard, recommended to hire a professional
Homes with stone exteriors are extremely popular. In fact, it is estimated that homes with stone veneer improve ROI by about 80%. If your listing doesn’t have brick or stone, consider installing panels to create visual appeal and increase the home’s value. Plus, stone panels are ideal for covering cinder brick foundations or accenting existing siding.
Exterior Home Decor Ideas to Improve Curb Appeal
Most people think that all curb appeal upgrades require labor-intensive maintenance or permanent changes to the home. However, you can enhance any house’s attractiveness by adding a few decor items, like planters or window boxes. Here are a few of our best curb appeal tips with products that instantly improve the house’s look.
17. Hang Wind Chimes
- Price range: $20 to $100
- Difficulty level: Easy, available for purchase, no DIY ability required
Wind chimes create a calming sound, which can appeal to the homebuyers’ senses. They can also help buyers envision themselves sitting outside listening to the wind chimes. To keep the sound pleasant and relaxing, choose wind chimes that provide a softer rather than loud or clanging sound.
18. Add a Doormat
- Price range: $15 to $50
- Difficulty level: Easy, available for purchase, no DIY ability required
Doormats instantly make a home feel cozy and welcoming. If the homeowners have had the same doormat out for some time, it probably looks worn and faded. Before prospective buyers come to the home, put down a new doormat to make it look fresh.
For a unique addition to your real estate listing marketing plan, order a customized doormat with your logo for open houses and showings. Small things like this show your clients and potential buyers how you think of every detail. Alternatively, you could gift your listing clients a new doormat while you sell their home or as a closing gift.
19. Add a Decorative House Number
- Price range: $9 to $75
- Difficulty level: Easy, available for purchase, no DIY ability required
When you’re looking for ideas to improve curb appeal, house numbers might not be the first thing you think of. However, it’s almost always something that buyers and visitors notice while looking for a home. House numbers help visitors identify the home, and decorative house number signs are an easy way to impress anyone who passes by.
There are many ways to make your house number pop without making a large dent in your budget. There are many beautiful DIY house number ideas online, or you can buy custom house number signs from artists on Etsy. This is another example of a low-cost value-add you could offer during your prelisting presentation as a benefit for homesellers who choose to work with you.
20. Enhance Curb Appeal With Large Planters
- Price range: $50 to $135
- Difficulty level: Easy, available for purchase, no DIY ability required
Even if the property already has established landscaping, adding large planters with colorful flowers will enhance the curb appeal. If you pay attention, professional home staging almost always incorporates greenery to bring a sense of life and pops of color to every space. Place planters near the garage doors, front doors, and outdoor living spaces, or line the pathway to the front door.
21. Install Window Boxes
- Price range: $10 to $100
- Difficulty level: Easy DIY project
Windows are an important element in the overall curb appeal of every property, and window boxes are a simple and affordable way to highlight them. Fill them with colorful, flowering plants for the current season to maximize curb appeal and add a pop of color and design to the home. Window boxes and installation hardware are available at most hardware stores, although many homeowners with just a few simple power tools could easily build their own.
Exterior Lighting Ideas
Most buyers—87%, according to Kiplinger—say they want a home with plenty of exterior lighting. Since this feature is in such high demand, it’s an especially important curb appeal upgrade. Use the following suggestions to upgrade a home’s exterior lighting easily and on a budget.
22. Update Light Fixtures
- Price range: $65 to $175 for labor
- Difficulty level: Medium, can be a DIY project or hired for an affordable price
One of the fastest and simplest ways to improve the exterior lighting in a home is by updating the light fixture. Many old light fixtures are dim and dated—simply replacing them can brighten the area and make the home appear more modern. Light fixtures can be purchased online or at hardware stores, and although they range in price, bright and modern fixtures can start at just $40 or $50.
23. Update Exterior Lighting & Accents
- Price range: $100 to $200 per installed light
- Difficulty level: Hard, recommended to hire a professional
All houses have a few exterior lights built into the structure, but they may be dim or limited to certain areas of the home. Evaluate the existing exterior lighting and suggest upgrades like brighter lights, adding lights in other areas, or even smart lighting. Although smart lighting often requires a professional to hardwire new fixtures, it also directly increases the home’s value.
24. Install Solar Accent Lights
- Price range: $10 to $118
- Difficulty level: Easy, available for purchase, no DIY ability required
If your listing clients aren’t interested in installing new exterior lights or dealing with fixtures, solar lights offer an ideal alternative. Solar pathway lights can cost just a few dollars and are available online or at home improvement stores all year round. However, homeowners can also use solar lights as flood lights, wall lanterns, accent lights, and string lights. Encourage the homeowners to get creative and use solar lights throughout the front and back of their property to brighten the area and create an ambiance.
Why Is Curb Appeal Important for Real Estate?
Curb appeal serves as the first impression of a property for visitors or potential buyers. A well-maintained exterior creates a positive response and increases the perceived value of a home. Curb appeal matters for homeowners, but it is arguably even more important for homesellers and agents who want to get the highest offers for the home.
In fact, there are many studies that reveal the importance of curb appeal in real estate:
- Many studies have been done about how much curb appeal can increase a property’s sale price with varying results: 5.5% to 12.7% (Virginia Tech University), 7% (EconPapers), 7% to 19% (HGTV).
- 98% of realtors believe curb appeal is important to buyers.
- 92% of realtors suggest curb appeal ideas and improvements to homesellers before listing the home.
- 85% of homeowners in 2023 planned to devote a quarter of their home remodeling budget to outdoor spaces.
- According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the “Joy Score” for every recorded outdoor remodeling project was more than nine on a scale of ten.
- All measurable outdoor remodeling projects have a positive cost recovery ranging from 56% to 217%, which means the cost of the project made a significant impact on the value of the home.
- 73% of construction professionals say that creating indoor and outdoor living spaces is still the biggest outdoor living trend for homeowners.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
To improve the curb appeal of a home quickly, focus on simple tasks that make the property appear clean and fresh. This includes picking up leaves, pulling weeds, trimming shrubs, mowing, and edging the lawn. Evaluate the condition of other items in the exterior, like the driveway, pathway, and front door, and consider getting them power washed or adding a fresh coat of paint to the door. Many of the most impactful curb appeal ideas are simple and affordable.
The amount of money that is wise to spend on curb appeal varies based on your property, budget, and the home’s condition. Some agents advise homeowners to spend 1% to 3% of the home’s value, but this may not be an accurate or necessary figure. However, studies show that even small investments tend to yield substantial returns.
There are many ways to increase curb appeal without spending large amounts of money. Focus on making low-cost improvements and taking a DIY approach to your tasks. Start by cleaning up all landscaping and washing exterior elements like the siding, driveway, and sidewalk. Then, consider adding simple elements like colorful flowers, fresh mulch, potted plants, or solar lights.
Bottom Line
Using the curb appeal tips above and your local real estate expertise, you can make a massive impact on the number of prospective buyers who view your listing, tour the home, and make offers. Although improving a home’s curb appeal can require some work and financial investment, assure your buyers that your curb appeal ideas and suggestions will have a direct impact on the final sale price of their home.