If you are about to sell your home, you probably want to make it as appealing as possible, so that you stand the best chance of attracting prospective buyers. One of the best ways to create interest in your home is to make sure that it has “curb appeal.” This means that when a person drives by your home from the outside, the house looks inviting, so that prospective buyers are interested in taking a closer look at your home.

When your home doesn’t look appealing from the outside, even if it is beautiful on the inside, you just won’t get people who are interested in taking a look.

Take a Close Look at Your Home

To assess the curb appeal of your home, take an objective look at it from outside. Go across the street and give the entire house an overall look. Make notes of anything about your home that looks run down or unattractive. Then, walk closer to your home and do the same thing.

If your house looks like it needs painted, or if there is clutter in the yard or cobwebs on the front porch, this isn’t going to create a good first impression for potential buyers and they will be more likely to pass your house by. Taking some pictures of your home from the outside is another good technique for taking an objective look, since a photograph tends to show home defects more clearly than simply looking at your home.

How to Use Paint to Increase Curb Appeal

There are a number of different exterior surfaces of your home that you can paint to give it a fresh and appealing look. One of the most important of these areas is your front door. Prospective buyers notice the front door, and if it looks inviting, it makes them want to go in and take a look around.

Instead of sticking with the same color that your door is currently painted, select an updated color in a rich shade, such as burgundy, dark green or even black, to make your house stand out and look more elegant. Remove the doorknob and hardware before painting, so that after the paint job is complete, you can update the look with a shiny new doorknob. If your home has shutters, this is another area where a fresh coat of paint can make a big difference. The window and door trim should also get a fresh coat of paint.

Of course, if you have a home with wood siding and there are any places where the paint is chipping or peeling, these areas will have to be painted, even if you don’t do a new paint job on the entire house. If you have any exterior outbuildings such as a storage barn or garage, these should be looked at to see if any painting is needed as well.

The final touch for using paint to increase your home’s curb appeal is to give your mailbox a fresh coat of paint, as well as repainting or replacing the numbers. This type of attention to details makes your home stand out from the others, and can attract the interest of potential buyers.