Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Life

Tag: curb appeal

  • Ask a Pro Q&A: Create the Perfect Exterior Design for Your Home

    When making a first impression, every second counts. Exterior hues are a big part of curb appeal. Learn if an exterior can be enhanced by trends with Dream Team member and outdoor pro, Carson Arthur.

    Question: What are the hot new exterior trends for newly built homes?

    – Nicole G.

    I’m always careful when following trends, especially when it comes to the curb appeal for a home. We know that you only get one chance to make a first impression in life, and the same is true for the exterior of your house. Research shows that buyers make a judgment about the quality of our homes within 11 seconds of seeing them for the first time. The key to having a great exterior is more than just what is on trend. First, you need to look like you belong in your neighborhood… buyers are looking for homes in your area for a reason. Standing out positively is extremely difficult and risky for homeowners looking to make a statement with their curb appeal and their exteriors. Play on the best elements of other houses on your street. According to Remodelling Magazines’s 2018 Cost vs Value report, stone veneers have an ROI of almost 100 percent.

    – Carson Arthur

  • Home Exterior Design Ideas for Transforming an Outdoor Space

    Curb appeal is important for many homeowners who want to feel good about where they live or attract a new buyer. Whether you want to freshen up a home you’ve owned for years or plan on selling, here are some exterior makeovers you can give without spending a fortune. Focus on designs that make a big impact.

    A fresh coat of paint

    Outdated brick and worn concrete rejuvenate with lighter paint selections. For shutters, window casings, eaves and the front door, consider khaki in a shade just a bit darker than the house.

     

     

     

     

     

    A makeover for focal points

    Thoughtful improvements like an updated roof, glass front door or new windows can make a vast difference. Consider also revamping your pathways and planters. Create a focal point with landscaping for one of the easiest and most effective ways to transform a house from blah to beautiful.

     

     

     

    Accentuate the positives

    If you have a charmer hidden under overgrown shrubs, bushes and trees, clear away the clutter to allow the home’s frame to speak volumes. Reveal a stunner simply by getting rid of anything in the way of the authentic style of your home. Doing a bit of research into your home’s beginnings may offer some ideas for enhancing its character.

     

     

     

  • Boost Your Home’s Curb Appeal with Breathtaking Front Yard Landscaping Ideas

    Ready to give your front yard a makeover, yet don’t know where to start? It’s easy to get a little intimidated when it comes to yard design. Many of us are convinced that landscaping is something only professionals can do because it will be too time consuming to maintain. However, anyone can have a swoon worthy front yard without a ton of effort.

    Whether you’re looking to sell your house or simply want to try something different, there are countless ways to enhance your curb appeal. Read on for some front yard landscaping ideas and planning suggestions.

    Charming pots and beautiful boxes

    Flower pots provide an instant front yard upgrade that can be updated easily and often. Southern Living recommends choosing pots that complement the colors of your home and keeping it simple with regard to the planters.

    Similarly, carefully tended window boxes can elevate your front yard design from basic to beautiful, especially when they include varied sizes and colors.

     

    Stylish stones

    Does the thought of plant-heavy landscaping make you nervous? There are other ways to make your front yard stand out that don’t involve plants or flowers. Pros call the use of pebbles and stones hardscaping, which can vary your yard with texture and color.

    Whether you’re using them as an accent or making them more of a focus, stones add a sophisticated textural element to your yard, with minimal maintenance.

  • How to Make an Elegant Do-it-Yourself Wreath    

    One of the easiest ways to add a cheery curb appeal and charm to your home—while getting festive for the fall and winter season—is by having a decorative door. You can also easily craft your décor to match your style and preferences, and with this inviting and simple DIY wreath tutorial, you will be sure to add a bit of elegance to your home exterior.

    How to Make an Elegant DIY Wreath

    A seasonal wreath can add so much charm to your home and truly is the perfect way to greet your holiday guests! With so much DIY inspiration to choose from, Which of these crafty ideas will you try first? For more stylish lifestyle tips and tricks, visit us on YouTube!

  • Top 10 Staging Tips for Your Home

    The key to staging your home is to take a look at it from an outside perspective and view this as an investment: staging is a huge selling factor when it comes to putting your home on the market. It can greatly assist you in selling quickly and at your asking price. Although clearing out your memorabilia and personal touches can be a daunting task, it is incredibly important to prepare your house for selling. Your home needs to appeal to a broad range of people within the target market. So, once you’re ready, these tips will help you stage your home to perfection:

    Top 10 Staging Tips for Your Home - bhgrelife.com1. Enhance the Curb Appeal

    First impressions are everything, and it will take a split second for potential buyers to form an opinion of your home and to determine whether it is for them or not. Although your house may be stunning on the inside, with all the best features, if the exterior doesn’t reflect this, potential buyers may skip the opportunity to check out the interior. Enhance the curb appeal with some TLC. Power wash siding and walkways, keep windows clean, maintain the landscape and repaint where needed.

  • How to Prepare Your House For Sale

    by Karlton Utter

    Curb Appeal Tips:

    First, try really hard to look at your house through an outsider’s eyes. Go for a walk outside, long enough to clear your mind and senses. Come back to your house, pretending you’ve never seen it before. Take notes on what looks “off” and needs repairing, replacing or cleaning. You might see something you’ve never noticed before, like a broken shutter or a missing piece of fence.

    Start by taking a good look at your front door. This is the first thing everyone looks at. Is the paint chipping? If so add some pizzazz to your home’s front entrance by painting your door a pretty hue that coordinates with your home’s color. Make sure there is a contrast between the front door and the facade of the home. Then look at your door’s hardware. Make sure your deadbolt, knob, knocker and foot plate are of the same finish. This shows your attention to small details.

    Light up your landscape. Give your walkway an edge with solar light fixtures, which are affordable and easy to install and you can place them where they highlight your home’s best attributes. If you want a bit more of a dramatic effect, add spotlights. Up lighting provided by spotlights accentuates the texture of tree trunks and creates a pleasing glow on foliage.

    And always remember that your home needs to be visible from the curb in order to have curb appeal. So cut overgrown bushes and trees. And remove branches that block walkways, windows, the driveway and views of the home from the street. People need to see the front of the house to appreciate it.

    Prepping and Staging the Indoors:

    Starting at your front door, walk through the house, open doors, closets, and pay attention to the first scent that you smell. You may be surprised to see some great aspects as well as how things you might be comfortable living with might not be so impressive to a buyer.

    Next, de-clutter. Leave some shelves and drawers nearly empty throughout your house- even in the pantry! You’re going to pack it all up at some point, so why not start early. Donate, sell, or put items in storage.

    Personal artwork, collections, or highly unique objects attract too much attention from buyers when you’d rather them look at the whole house. It’s better to remove those items to create a more neutral look throughout the entire home.

    Fill empty spaces with poufs or storage cubes for an easy additional seating option and also to balance out the room. Also, have an appropriately sized coffee table. If the table is too large, the roof will feel cramped. If it is too small, the room will seem too cavernous.

    Bedrooms should have a neatly made bend and one or two nightstands, a lamp, and a chair if there is room. Place extra dressers in storage because you want to see a lot of floor space in each room.

    Follow these tips to make a lasting first impression to passersby and prospective buyers!

  • Ask a Pro Q&A: Treating Weeds without Killing Flowers

    Never ruin your flowerbed again! On this installment of Ask a Pro, Dream Team member and Outdoor Design expert Carson Arthur reveals his trick to get rid of the weeds without killing your flowers!

    Ask a Pro: Treating Weeds without Killing the Flowers - bhgrelife.com

    Q: There are weeds in my flowerbed and I would like to know how to eliminate them, without killing my beautiful flowers. Can you help?

    -Lisa T.

    A. Best is to lay newspaper around the plants, covering the weeds. 7 layers of newspaper covered with 3 inches of mulch will get rid of the weeds for 2­ to 3 years! It’s really that easy.

    -Carson A.

     

  • Curb Appeal: Easy Tips for Making the Best First Impression

    The biggest mistake someone selling his or her home can make is spending the entire renovation budget on the inside of the house. Do they think that potential buyers will ignore the front of the house and not make an opinion until they get inside? Curb appeal has never meant so much in a housing market as it does today! Buyers begin to assess a home as soon as they notice the initial listing photo. Want to make the most for your home? Here are some simple tips to make the best first impression!

    By Carson Arthur

    Planters - BHGRELife.com1. Choose containers over plant beds to add color to the front yard

    Having plants is not necessarily a bad idea. In fact, homes with healthy plants and flowers are considered more welcoming to a homebuyer. The key, however, is for the front yard not to appear high maintenance. Plant sparingly because not everyone has a green thumb. Instead, use containers to bring plants that are in bloom to the front door, maximizing the visual interest in the space.