A favourite saying of mine lately is “Selling your home is both a price war and a beauty pageant and you have to win both.”

Here we are focusing on the beauty pageant aspect. I want you to think back a few years, or maybe many, and remember the various first dates of your youth. Think of how when you met up with that someone  for the date, did they take some extra time to look a certain way to make your heart flutter? Did you do the same? What about the first time you saw that someone who for whatever reason made you forget yourself and the other people in the world? Those first moments, they count. They set expectations and create anticipation. The emotions are a little different with buying a house but the overall effect and therefore strategy is the same. You want that first impression to be the right one.

As with people, what you see on the outside may or may not reflect what’s on the inside.  Some people only reno the inside and don’t bother with the garden, the flaking paint, old siding or cracks in the driveway. Others only pay attention to those things. Most, however, understand the need for balance.

So here is a list of nine easy ways to create Curb Appeal. For a broader look at how to add value to your property I would direct you to the Selling section of this blog and you should probably start with this post. Of course, you don’t need to do all of these things to sell your home, but even if you do a few of them it will help your sale price immensely. Breaking projects up into small, manageable chunks—as your time and budget allow—is the best way to go, because even just a few design tweaks can make a big impact to your home’s curb appeal.Creating a welcoming landscape doesn’t have to be a difficult or expensive endeavour.

The following steps will help to quickly create curb appeal for your home.

1. Tidy up. Make sure you don’t have old rusty junk lying around the yard, unless it is being used stylistically in a garden.
2. Trim up. Cut the grass and edge the borders with a weed trimmer. Take care to get rid of all weeds, including ones by the walls and around the mailbox post.
3. Build a healthy and green lawn. Adding some starter sod can make a big difference very quickly. Sod can be bought at lawn and garden stores and comes in rolls or squares. After you lay it across your yard, water it well and you’ll immediately have a lawn, with roots taking hold within two weeks.
4. Add some colour to your yard. Planting flowers will enhance the curb appeal of your home. Buying colourful plants that have already started blooming will immediately make a difference. They can either be planted in pots or in the ground. Use your imagination and choose flowers that bloom in colours that look good with your home.
5. Paint. Giving your home (trim and shutters too) a new coat of paint easily breathes new life into its appearance. However, make sure you select a colour palette that matches the architectural style of your home. For example, if you live in a historic home, you’ll want to stick to an authentic palette.
6. Update your front door. Greet guests in style with an eye-catching front door that makes a statement. You can find exterior doors in a variety of materials from traditional wood to sturdy steel. The key is to select a door that suits your home’s architectural style. If your current door is in good condition, you can make it stand out by painting it a bold colour or adding windows, sidelights, mouldings and more.
7. Illuminate paths and walkways with outdoor lighting. Install lighting fixtures that will complement the style of your home as well as help to create dramatic effects. Use fixtures with built-in motion detectors to enhance safety.
8. Add decorative accents. Top your exterior off with finishing flourishes such as trendy new house numbers that are clearly visible from the street. And while you’re at it, why not add a new mailbox? Or frame windows with new shutters?
9. Dress-up your front porch or entry. Make sure you have an inviting place for potential buyers to sit and admire the landscaping. Even a small space has room for a chair or bench and a round table, or a stool to place a drink on. An outdoor accessory or two is fine, but keep it simple and uncluttered.

Keep in mind that simplicity is the key to creating curb appeal. A few flower beds that border and define walkways, curbs and lawn areas, and a few flower pots next to the home is often enough.

Ryan Coffey