August is one of our favorite times of year, because for a whole month we get to celebrate one particular aspect of home ownership that we love: curb appeal.
National Curb Appeal Month kicked off at the beginning of August, and we’re thrilled to share everything we know about making sure the exterior of your home is inviting for guests and potential home buyers.
Homeowners can completely refresh their home’s look and add appeal, just by updating the color of the home.
One of our favorite things about choosing the color of your exterior is just how customized your look can be. If you’re a fan of bright, primary colors, let it show.
Prefer neutral tones? Incorporate those into the trim. There are some great ways to flaunt your personality and taste through the colors that you choose.
If you want to add just a suggestion of color without going overboard, you can’t go wrong using white as your base, then adding a few bright accents. Using bolder colors on accents for your doors and windows gives your home some flair, with the white base color adding a clean background.
5 Landscaping Ideas to Try This Summer
A well-crafted lawn or carefully maintained flower garden can help to delight visitors and draw in potential buyers.
Landscaping can add to your home’s curb appeal, but there are little things that can also be done to spruce up your yard:
Consider adding a focal accent to your front yard like a fountain or natural water feature. Projects like this often only take up a weekend of your time, but can make a major impact on your home’s exterior.
There are some great trends on the market right now, but one of the most important things to remember is what works for your area and the kind of market you’re in.
Texture and depth are two very hot concepts in the design industry right now. Don’t just think about the color of the materials you use - find products that add visual interest through texture as well.
One way to do this is to include stone or brick in your exterior design. Adding a field stone skirt around the exterior or a brick accent above your entryway are great ways to include more texture and dynamic, and adds a more natural flair to the design.
10 Exterior Home Products Built to Withstand High Winds
Curb appeal isn’t just about looks. For the more practical buyers, be sure to consider materials for your home that are attractive, but that also keep the home protected and safe from harsh weather.
Colonial shutters for your windows not only make a strong design statement, but protect your windows and interior from dangerously high winds and hurricane debris.
Choosing the right materials for the exterior of your home can make a huge difference in your home’s protection. You’ll want to make sure that any products you choose come with ratings for impact and wind resistance.
According to recent data from the National Association of Realtors, 56% of realtors said that their customers were interested in sustainability while looking for their potential new homes.
Sustainability and environmental responsibility aren’t just trends, they’re becoming the standard for how people run their lives and homes. Choosing products and materials that are better for the environment is not only responsible, but addresses the market’s growing demand for sustainable practices.
If you’re making significant updates to your exterior, consider more sustainable materials like steel. Unlike wood shingles that require the harvesting of trees, or silica dust made from fiber cement, siding made from steel is a strong and highly durable product, made from one of the most commonly recycled materials in the world.
You can read about more environmentally-responsible materials in this recent article for additional ideas on choosing products for your own home.
Whatever your tastes might be, there are a growing number of ways to update your home’s curb appeal, so that you’ll have an exterior that draws potential buyers right to your front door.