Increase Curb Appeal
Summer is here, along with warmer, drier weather! Home buyers will be looking for potential real estate purchases.
Even if you’re not selling, you want to think about how your home looks from the street, so you aren’t dragging down the neighborhood! Here are some tips.
![A midcentury modern exterior appeals with stonework on the front wall around the door, exposed wood beams around the windows and below the ceiling, and neatly trimmed natural plantings surround the approach to the front door.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_Blog-Curb-Appeal-via-Houzz.jpg)
What I love here is the stonework and manicured plantings with wood highlights on the ceiling, windows, and door. Make sure your approach to the entrance is uncluttered and has varied interest like this one.
![Herringbone pattern on the orangey wooden front door that matches the neighbor's door, with a potted plant outside, a white sconce downlight and brass mail slot, finished with a sisal front door mat to be welcoming.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_Blog-Curb-Appeal-Martha-Stewart.com_-580x725.jpg)
Here’s a tidy front door with a wood pattern that matches the neighbors’ place in an outdoor apartment approach. If you’re in an HOA or neighborhood association, make sure you’re keeping any required features. It can be the neighborhood as a whole that sells individual houses.
![Craftsman home with light grey shingles across a pointed roof with a circle center window above the front door. The shingles are repeated on the mailbox support. Alternating pavers lead to the front porch and door with green plantings all around.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_Blog-Curb-Appeal-via-HGTV.jpg)
Look at this great pathway to the front door under a Craftsman roof! A memorable feature is repeating the wooden shingles on the mailbox. You need at least one standout feature that sets you apart from the competition.
![A double set of garage doors lit with down-lights underneath green shiplap cladding on one side of a home's entrance, with the other side being the front door, surrounded in stone cladding. A horizontal wheel-shaped pendant of bulbs lights the entrance more brightly than the rest of the house.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_Blog-Curb-Appeal-Double-Aspect-via-HGTV.jpg)
This double-aspect entrance and garage looks great on a clean, unbroken driveway. Resurface your driveway if you need to.
![A yellow house with a gabled roof and white detailing around windows, doors, and porch railings that repeats on the which picket fence surrounding the green yard with a rosebush at the corner.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_Blog-Curb-Appeal-Fence-via-ChiayacatiStockPhoto.jpg)
A white picket fence is the dream for many. Rails along the front porch echo the lines from the fence, giving the impression of an organized home that won’t need lots of repairs. Make sure you do any needed repairs before you put your home on the market.
![A light blue cottage with an arched white front gate entrance and a red gate, with pink flowers growing over the arch. A pair of blue birdhouses with red roofs form the mailboxes, labeled with the family's name are at the front.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_Blog-Curb-Appeal-Cottage-via-Flickr.jpg)
This cottage twee arched gate fits this house perfectly and would really stand out from a standard entrance. The gate is the first thing buyers may see, the definition of curb appeal.
![A brown modern square wood house with a railed balcony overlooks a yard of grasses and trees with rocks and brushes in varying shades of green, tan, and purple flowers.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_Blog-Curb-Appeal-Drought-Plantings-via-Sunset-Mag.jpg)
Drought-resistant plantings offer easy upkeep to a prospective buyer. If your yard doesn’t hit the right note, hire a landscape architect. The investment will pay off when you sell your home quickly and at top dollar.
To transform your home into your dream destination, Kimball Starr can help! Contact her today for an in-person socially-distanced or remote meeting.