What Is Curb Appeal

First impressions are important, and curb appeal is the first impression people have of your home. Like the right set of clothes, lawn and landscape elements can complement and frame your house to create a unique look—that's curb appeal. Winter can be especially tough on curb appeal, as cold temperatures, high winds, and the freeze-thaw cycle can lead to a ho-hum exterior where once there was a beautiful, thriving landscape.

Increase Curb Appeal for Faster Sale

Regardless of the season, it's a good idea to improve your home's curb appeal if you're planning to put your home on the market. Today's buyers typically start looking for their next homes online, which means they're passing judgment before they even get to your house. A sharp-looking exterior will invite prospective buyers to come in and see more.

8 Quick Ways to Improve Curb Appeal

So, what can you do if that house that needs a little exterior love happens to be yours? There are a number of quick and easy ways you can improve the outside appearance of your home without breaking the bank.

One simple way is to update the look of your front yard. Try these simple tips and you'll see a big difference in just a single afternoon. (With all products, be sure to read and follow all label directions.)

1. Weed flower beds and replace spent plants. Consider adding flowers and other eye-catching plants to empty spaces in landscaping beds, especially along the foundation of your home.
2. Add new mulch to garden beds and around trees. The bold colors in Scotts® Nature Scapes® Color Enhanced Mulch or Scotts® Nature Scapes® Triple Shred Mulch are perfect for adding depth and texture to plantings. 
3. Upgrade your mailbox. Replace an old, battered mailbox with a new one, and plant some annuals around the post for a little added color.
4. Improve the lawn. To help your lawn grow thick and green, give it the nutrition it needs and kill listed weeds at the same time with Scotts® Turf Builder® Triple Action (for northern lawns) or Scotts® Turf Builder® Southern Triple Action (for southern lawns). Or, if weeds aren't an issue and you're looking for an extra-quick green-up, use Scotts® Green Max™ Lawn Food.
5. Tidy up the edges. Use a string trimmer to create neat edges along walkways, planting beds, and your driveway. See our How to Edge a Lawn article for edging tips.
6. Clean walkways and the driveway. Remove any mold, mildew, moss, or algae stains from the driveway, walkway, sidewalk, and front porch with Scotts® Outdoor Cleaner Multi Purpose Formula Ready-to-Spray, or for a no-scrub option, use Scotts® Outdoor Cleaner Patio & Deck with ZeroScrub™ Technology Concentrate. 
7. Clean house siding. If the exterior of you house is looking dirty, use Scotts® Outdoor Cleaner House & Siding with ZeroScrub™ Technology Ready-to-Spray to remove mold, mildew, and algae stains from vinyl, stucco, wood, stone, brick, and many other surfaces. It will start to clean your home's exterior in as little as 24 hours with no scrubbing or rinsing required.
8. Spruce up planters. Wipe down the surfaces with Scotts® Outdoor Cleaner Multi Purpose Ready to Use and replace any plants that are past their prime.

A little time and attention can go a long way toward improving your home's curb appeal—and that's good news if you're looking to sell your home or simply want to make a better impression on your neighbors and in-laws.