Summer brings more than heat, it brings moving trucks, yard signs, and buyers cruising slowly past houses, deciding in seconds whether a place is worth seeing inside. You can have a beautifully updated kitchen and perfectly staged living room, but if the exterior looks tired or neglected, many buyers will never make it to the front door. Curb appeal doesn't just make your home look pretty but it sets expectations, affects perceived value, and can directly influence how quickly and strongly buyers are willing to make an offer.
That's why it pays to treat your front yard, façade, and entryway like the opening chapter of your home's story.
The first, non-negotiable step is cleanliness. A spotless exterior might not earn compliments, but a messy one will absolutely draw criticism. Realtor Amber Donnelly of CENTURY 21 Tahoe North reminds sellers that buyers often view the front of the house as a reflection of what's happening inside. Fallen branches, pine needles, leaf piles, and cobwebs around light fixtures all send the message that maintenance might be lacking. Before you hit the market, clear debris from beds and lawn, sweep the entry and driveway, power wash dirty surfaces if needed, and make sure gutters and downspouts aren't streaked or overflowing. The goal is for the house to look quietly well cared for, not like you rushed to tidy up an hour before the showing.
Once things are clean, pay attention to how "alive" the front of your home feels. A façade that's all brick, siding, or stone with no greenery can seem stark and uninviting, even if the architecture is beautiful. Interior designer Connie Vernich notes that adding organic elements softens hard lines and makes the entry feel more welcoming. Evergreen shrubs such as juniper or holly can provide year-round structure and frame the house, while seasonal or regionally appropriate flowers bring color and charm. Landscape designer Cate Singleton suggests viewing your front yard the way you'd view a room: it needs a mix of heights, textures, and focal points, not a few lonely plants scattered around.
Planters are an easy way to introduce that layered look without tearing up your yard. Landscape designer Lisa Mierop encourages homeowners not to obsess over perfect symmetry. Instead of placing two identical pots with identical plants on either side of the door, try grouping containers of different sizes filled with complementary but varied plants. Think tall grasses paired with trailing vines and blooms in a coordinated color palette. The slight asymmetry and variety feel intentional and modern, drawing the eye toward the entry.
If your budget can stretch beyond plants and clean-up, paint is one of the most powerful upgrades you can make. Designer Emily Barry of Rehabitat Interiors points out that a fresh exterior color can make an older home feel current almost instantly. She also warns against defaulting to bright white trim, which can sometimes date the overall look. Matching the trim to the body color or choosing a softer, related tone can create a more cohesive, elevated façade. Even if a full repaint isn't in the cards, freshening peeling trim, railings, and shutters will keep the house from reading as tired.
When a full exterior paint job isn't realistic, turn your attention to the front door. It's often the first thing buyers focus on when they approach the house, and a drab, scuffed door is a missed opportunity. Heather Goerzen of Havenly calls the front door "the eye candy of the space," and she's right: a well-chosen color instantly injects personality. Swapping a generic dark brown or faded black for a rich blue, deep green, or other inviting shade can completely transform the feel of the entry. Treat this like any other paint decision: test several colors, and check them at different times of day so you see how changing light affects the tone. The right color should complement your siding, roof, and landscaping rather than fight them.
Lighting is the final layer that can make your home stand out, especially in the evenings when many buyers drive through neighborhoods after work. One lonely fixture over the door doesn't do your house any favors. Designer Diane Schmunk recommends using uplights to wash the façade in soft light, which adds warmth and dimension and makes architectural details pop. You can also add sconces near the door or above the house numbers so visitors can easily find the address, line walkways with low path lights for safety and ambiance, and uplight key trees or larger shrubs to give the yard more depth after dark. The idea isn't to make your home the brightest on the block, but to create a gentle, inviting glow that says "well loved" instead of "afterthought."
When you put all of these elements together which include a clean, clutter-free exterior, thoughtfully placed greenery, strategic paint choices, an inviting front door, and layered lighting, you're doing more than making your home photogenic. You're telling buyers, from the sidewalk, that this is a property that has been cared for and is worth their time. In a busy summer market, that can be the difference between someone driving past and someone pulling over to schedule a showing.
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