When house hunting, curb appeal is very important. It can only take a few minutes to make a great impression. When a potential buyer pulls up to your house, they are asking themselves, “Is this place worth getting out of the car to look at?” One major appeal is the having the home look “framed up” meaning it needs to look like a picture when people pull up. They expect to see tasteful paint colors, well-trimmed grass, and fresh flowers.

Real Estate agents have identified curb appeal as a key way to make a property more attractive to buyers. It’s hard to quantify a return on an investment, but curb appeal is the best way to get quick action and the most value out of your property.

In today’s market, if people see a property is turn-key and won’t have to spend time resodding or painting a property, you’re more likely to gain more interest. With interest in a property, you find yourself in a good situation of multiple-offer situation. If you find yourself in this situation, it’s typical for the price to go up by 3 percent per bidder, this can add up to $10,000 over the asking price quickly.

The best part to all of this is that you don’t have to spend  lot to make big changes on your home’s exterior appearance. Keep it simple to start the makeover by cutting the grass, power washing the porch and walkway and getting rid of the clutter.

Additionally, tackling these one or all four of these perk-up projects will enhance your home’s curb appeal.

Hardware

The house numbers, a nice wall-mounted mailbox and a pouch light can add interest to your home’s exterior. All of the hardware should match both in style and finish. You’ll also want to choose and hardware that coordinates with the style of the home.

Painting

For about $25 you can buy a gallon of exterior paint. That should be good enough to added new color, or freshen up your front door, shutters, and trim. Don’t be afraid of bold colors, just make sure they complement the other shades on your house and in your landscape. If the rest of the house is peeling, you may need to outlay more cash and paint the whole thing, or at least the sides the faces the street.

Go Green

Planting some flowers along your front walkway, or adding planters by your front door, or flower boxes on the windows to give your home a welcoming feel. You can purchase pre-planted containers from your local garden center or create your own with some of your personal favorite plants. Just make sure to keep up the routine maintenance on your plants after you plant them. Dead flowers aren’t good curb appeal.

Bring the Indoors Outside

If you have a big enough outdoor space, add a nice comfortable place to sit. Using an outdoor rug to visually anchor a seating area, or add a love seat, chair, or small table. Colorful cushions and pillows in outdoor fabrics will have a nice punch to the space. Get removable covers you can wash them or swap them out as the seasons change. Some all weather art can enhance the space, and add some great final touches. The key here is to create a setting that’s so attractive that prospective buyers can’t resist it.