Your house is beautiful – and chances are good that when you think about your home, you see memories of your first day in the new place, your family growing together, and all the good times that have been spent there. But when someone else sees your house, for the first time or the hundredth, they don’t have the same experiences to draw from.

In the real estate world, that first experience with your house is called curb appeal – literally, the reaction people have to your house from the curb. And whether you’re selling your home or just having company over, it’s always nice to give off that welcoming vibe that goes along with a fresh, clean looking home. So in today’s blog, we’re highlighting a few ways you can boost your curb appeal and make a great first impression on anyone visiting your house.

The Laws of Landscaping

One of the best things you can do to bolster the exterior appearance of your home is to make sure the lawn is well maintained. If you’ve got a large amount of land, this can be a little trickier – and you may even want to hire a professional to do the job, especially if you’re looking to sell the place. A well-manicured lawn, complimented by thoughtfully selected plants and defining hardscaped elements (such as walkways, flowerbeds, water features, etc.), goes a long way toward impressing a potential buyer – or showing the place off to friends and family.

Operation: Pressure Washer

 Let’s face it – sometimes the house can get a little messy, especially if we get distracted by life and forget to make time to clean up occasionally. The outside of your house is no exception, with all the power of the elements, dirt, pollen, and animals putting your home to the test. Thankfully, there’s an easy solution – pressure washing.

Whether you’re a DIY type of person, or the type to hire out a job, taking a pressure washer to the exterior of your home can remove years of dust, mold, and stains in a matter of hours. The end result? Just like taking a hot shower after a long day, you’ll end up with a house that feels rejuvenated and ready for its debut.

Feeling Fresh

Once you’ve gotten your home pressure washed, it’s time to give it a once-over and make sure that everything is appropriately covered. A good cleaning goes a long way, but it can also reveal issues that were covered up under layers of grime – such as chipped or peeling paint on the siding, a cracked stain or finish on decks and patios, and other surface-level problems.

Luckily, these are also easy fixes. Touch-ups to the paint and refinishing the deck are fairly simple projects, and really complete that fresh feeling that your home will have once it’s all cleaned up.

Don’t Forget To Accessorize

Now that your home is looking great, there’s one last bit to attend to. When your lawn is a mess and the walls of the house are covered in gunk, other things don’t seem quite so bad. A dented mailbox, drooping house numbers, or burnt out lights are just another thing on that never-ending to-do list.

But now that you’ve put all that effort into brightening up your home’s exterior, you’ll want to check off the “no brainer” boxes and get the accessories on the outside up to snuff. Painting or hanging new shutters, putting in new lights (or just new bulbs), and replacing or repairing the mailbox are small details, but they definitely complete the look of a home with great curb appeal.