Curb Appeal Checklist

Creating Curb Appeal in 4 Key Areas for Home Sale Value

Curb appeal becomes critical when selling your home. Small touches can increase both a buyer's interest and the offer price. For you and your family, curb appeal makes your house a comforting sanctuary to come home to.

If you are selling, or simply sprucing up, ProTEK Painters offers this handy checklist to increase your home’s curb appeal.

13 Exterior Tips

1. Paint - We are the best Newton Painters in the area. We tell you from experience, nothing makes a house look great faster than new paint. If you are selling, consider light, neutral colors
2. Roof - Make sure the roof is in good shape and blends well with your home's exterior.
3. Front Door - Add a unique front door that makes your house stand out in a complimentary way.
4. Window Boxes - Consider adding window boxes overflowing with plants and flowers. Make sure they match your home's trim.
5. Trim and Molding - Fresh, clean trim makes a house pop. If your home is a neutral color, you can add a bolder accent with your trim.
6. Shutters - Shutters add a classic look. Keeping them open allows for light and comfort.
7. Gutters and Downspouts - Ensure your gutter system is working effectively, cleaned, and painted if necessary.
8. Repair Cracks, Blemishes and Rotted Siding and Trim - ProTEK offers light carpentry services with an exterior paint job.
9. Walkways and Driveways - Remove moss, mildew, and weeds, then repair cracks and seal if necessary. For a next level look, consider stone, brick, or tile.
10. Railings - Make sure they are safe, sound, and well maintained. If not, replace or repair them. Wood railings can be painted to match the home.
11. Decks - Make needed structural repairs. Clean, stain, and seal your deck.
12. Windows - Upgrading to energy efficient windows adds value and helps regulate the indoor climate. New or old, windows that are cleaned regularly add curb appeal.
13. Pressure Wash - Make sure everything on the exterior is squeaky clean. Pressure wash decks, siding, walkways, porches, pergolas, and the driveway. This can be the first step with a new paint job.

Exterior Painting Techniques You Shouldn't Try At Home

9 Hardware and Adornment Improvements

1. House Numbers - Replace old house numbers with shiny new ones.
2. Mailboxes - Update your mailbox to a clean, sleek model.
3. Handles and Locks - Refresh or replace your doorknobs and locks.
4. Lights - Make sure your lighting is functioning and bright. Consider updating the light fixtures while you’re at it. Dingy light fixtures show up before most things.
5. Match Hardware - When light fixtures, doorknobs, mailboxes, and house numbers match, they add a wonderful aesthetic to your home.
6. Symmetry - Symmetry appeals to the eye. If you add an urn next to the door, add the same urn to the other side.
7. Fences and Gates - A low fence allows the home to be seen while adding a sense of privacy and security. Gates should be well maintained and sturdy. Fences and gates around gardens add a touch of elegance.
8. Art - Pieces like fountains, urns, sundials, or items that match your style meld the house to the yard nicely.
9. Porch - A porch is a great place to spend time with the family. Adding one can increase your home’s value in the long term. Incorporating decorative touches, furniture, and art pieces increase curb appeal. As does ensuring they, and the porch, are clean.

5 Lawn and Garden Touches

1. Outdoor Lighting - Add low lights along paths, to highlight trees, and near the base of the home. If you are unable to wire lighting, solar fixtures look nice and increase safety and security.
2. Planters - In place of, or in addition to a garden, planters add a comfortable, cared-for look. Match your flowers to the home.
3. Gardening and Landscaping - If you have a garden, make sure it is neat and tidy. Prune bushes and hedges. Keep the lawn neatly mowed and trimmed.
4. Cover Dead Spots - Trees create dead spots where grass will not grow. You can cover these with shade-loving flowers, or a light layer of mulch. Installing rockery at the edge of the soil draws attention in a good way.
5. Plant a Tree - This can reveal a love for your home and that you take good care of it. Try not to get what the neighbors have. Consider height, proximity to your home, and how long it will take to mature.

Don’t Forget the Interior and the Back Yard

Interior Painting - Matching the entryway to the porch creates flow and increases curb appeal when the door is open.

If you are selling, the bathroom and kitchen, including kitchen cabinet painting increase sale value, as does touching up faded, peeling, or out of date rooms.

Prospective buyers driving by or walking through will notice the condition of the back yard.

Creating curb appeal is important even if you aren't selling your home. An attractive view from the street can help extend your own property value as well as the neighborhood’s value. And it helps to decrease costly maintenance and repairs in the future.

Contact ProTEK Painters for professional painting and related services to enhance your home's curb appeal today!

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