On The Fence: Curb Appeal Updates That Increase Home Value

Which home improvements yield the highest returns and create a striking first impression?

Certain home improvements significantly increase your home’s value, leaving you with tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands more dollars than your pre-renovations value. On the other hand, some renovations and investments end up costing you, or at the very least, don’t contribute to increasing the value of your property.

First impressions matter. Often, the home improvement projects with the highest returns correlate with the features most important to home buyers, including how they feel when they first see it. Let’s explore the pre-listing home improvement projects that enhance the curb appeal of your home and offer the highest investment returns. Utilizing the insights in Curbio’s data from thousands of home renovations we’ve done throughout the country, we uncovered national and regional trends. Several of the exterior upgrade projects highlighted below require only a small amount of investment and time.

What is curb appeal?

Curb appeal is the experience you give potential homebuyers of your home’s exterior. It’s the sum total of efforts that inform someone’s first impression of your home. It includes the yard, home exterior, porch, landscaping, garage, and the surrounding neighborhood.

Things to consider when you invest in your home’s curb appeal include:

• Privacy features, like bamboo, newly planted trees or bushes, and attractive fencing or gates – especially for properties with smaller yards
• Freshly painted exterior features like your porch, steps, garage door, front door, or the entire exterior
• Shade features that include landscaping as well as porch roofs, and other outdoor structures

Garages: your little-known money makers

Any garage, detached, attached, or fully converted, adds value to a home. The garage provides a distinct, functional setting that is neither entirely indoors nor outdoors. It is a “flex space” used for many activities. In the last few years, garages have become more popular since we spend more time at home to work, pursue hobbies, and exercise. 

Adding a garage to your home or upgrading the one you have will benefit your property if you plan to sell it soon. Increase the value and marketability of your home by making this space more functional and habitable. 

Decking out your deck

Patios, decks, and porches provide comfortable outdoor spaces to read, rest, celebrate, and grill out! Investing in a newly-constructed deck or renovating the one you have will increase your home’s value.

Deck additions made of wood have a high ROI, look great, are low-maintenance, and are a great selling point for prospective home buyers.

You can further enhance your deck by adding features like a screened-in shelter, planter boxes, privacy fences, and complimentary landscaping.

Before you sell, increase your home’s value with Curbio

Improvements can undoubtedly add value to your home, but knowing which upgrades are worth it is imperative. Curbio can help you determine which home improvements are most beneficial for the area and the circumstances in which you live. We help homeowners improve their properties, so they sell 50% faster than the national average and make $80,000 more in profits!

We’re the best in the industry with end-to-end home improvement solutions, seamless management, and expert implementation. Reduce your home’s time on the market and increase its value with Curbio. A quick, straightforward estimate is the first step toward stress-free, award-winning home repairs. Start here.