Everybody loves a house with a great curb appeal. People pass by and say to themselves, “that house looks like I could buy it.” The greater the curb appeal of your house, the more buyers will be willing to pay for it if you decide to let it go. If you are willing to create a great first impression on anyone who comes visiting your home, you may try implementing any of these ideas to increase your curb appeal.

1. Paint the front door and improve the exterior. Every visitor sees your front door so invest in a good coat of paint. Look for a bold and eye-catching color that makes the rest of the house stand out, but be careful not to mix clashing colors. Replace the bad mailbox, old number plates, and doorbell, and fix the sagging ceiling too.
2. Clean your front windows and gutters. Clean up the windows and window blinds. Add extra lighting to make that view pop up. Rake up dead leaves and grass from the gutter. Remove vegetation that springs up in between the walkway.
3. Install lighting outside. Add low voltage lighting everywhere around your home – the front porch, sidewalks and even on the driveway. This makes it look really great at night. It also serves as security lighting for you. If you can afford it, add a street lamp outside your home.
4. Get rid of junk. Old furniture, bad vehicles, unruly garbage bins, and clutter around the front yard – all these add up to reduce the curb appeal of your home. Get rid of all the unsightly things that might distract from the image you are trying to create.
5. Do some landscaping. Mow your overgrown lawn and plant flowers and shrubs. Get rid of weeds and fallen leaves. If you have space, you could plant two trees to frame the side of the house, otherwise stick to a garden and potted plants.
6. Add outdoor artwork. For a classier and more sophisticated outlook, add external artwork like sculpture, marble or terracotta. Water sculptures and fountains are also a great choice, add some birdhouses and feeders to the mix, and you have got a great sight. You could also install wall art on your garage doors to give it an extra touch. Not sure of what kind of art to get, ask art students at any local art college near you, you might probably pick up a bargain.

Once you clean up your existing yard, talk to your real estate professional about the best look for the season.

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Home improvements are a vital part to keeping your home up-to-date with the times and also to ensure that it doesn’t lose value when it comes time to sell.

To save money, many homeowners take the do-it-yourself route and use the tools at their disposal to upgrade their homes. Sites like YouTube have made it easier than ever to follow step-by-step tutorials that show you how to make substantial repairs and upgrades to your home without having to pay a professional.

The down side, however, is that when you choose to DIY, you take on the risk of going over budget by making mistakes. You also risk stretching out your project weeks or months longer than necessary due to a lack of time to work on it.

In today’s post, we’re going to talk about how you can stay on budget and on track to finish your home improvement project without bringing in the professionals.

Making a timeline

Let’s start with the big picture for your home renovations. When deciding which improvements to make, it’s important to know your limits in terms of the work you can do.

Set a reasonable number of hours you can work on your projects per week. Go easy on yourself. Most of us are already tired when we get home from work and probably won’t be able to start tackling big projects in the evenings. Rather, try to give yourself one weekend day to work on your projects and one weekend day to relax.

The most important aspect of creating your timeline is to try and keep your schedule open. So, write down the time you want to work on your home in your calendar, planner, or whichever app or tool you use to plan your time.

This will help you to avoid creating conflicting events and obligations, and help you stay on track to finishing your improvement projects.

If you’re looking for an evening activity related to your home improvement projects, it’s a good idea to start watching some video tutorials of people doing the same renovations as you. This will help you avoid mistakes and look out for common obstacles that you’ll face along the way.

Budgeting your improvement

You’ll want to save up for your project in advance, if possible, to avoid accumulating credit card debt. Your home improvement project should, in effect, gain you money by increasing the value of your home, not make you lose money on credit card interest payments.

Budgeting in itself is an art that few of us are taught in school. Fortunately, there are several free budgeting apps available. Or, you can simply draw one up yourself.

The key to creating a home improvement budget is to know how much of your monthly savings you can devote to this project without having to dip into other funds. To do this, you’ll need a clear understanding of where your income goes.  

Once you have a budget and a timeline for your home improvement project, you’re ready to begin. Just make sure you check in on your timeline and your budget throughout the length of the project to make sure you’re meeting your goals and aren’t overspending.

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If you intend to purchase a house soon, it helps to prepare for the home buying journey. In fact, if you identify potential issues before you start your quest to find your dream home, you could avoid them during your property search.

Now, let's take a look at three common issues that plague homebuyers, along with tips to address these problems.

1. Lack of Home Financing

In some instances, a homebuyer will check out residences and find one that matches their expectations. Next, this buyer will submit an offer to purchase a home that ultimately gets accepted. At this point, however, the buyer may discover that they lack the necessary financing to acquire this home.

Entering the housing market with financing in hand is ideal. If a buyer gets pre-approved for a mortgage, they will know precisely how much money is available for a home purchase. As a result, this buyer can map out their home search accordingly.

To get pre-approved for a mortgage, it helps to meet with a variety of banks and credit unions. These financial institutions can teach a homebuyer about his or her mortgage options. Plus, they can help you make an informed mortgage selection.

2. Tight Home-buying Timeline

If you have only a limited amount of time to move from your current address, you may rush to purchase a house. In this scenario, you risk making a rash home purchase – something that may prove to be problematic both now and in the future.

For buyers who face a tight home-buying timeline, there is no need to stress. If you make a list of home-buying tasks you need to accomplish, you can take a step-by-step approach to the property buying journey.

3. Unrealistic Home-buying Expectations

You may expect to buy your dream residence without delay. Yet the real estate market offers no guarantees. And in certain instances, it may take many weeks or months before a buyer finds a house that they want to purchase.

To establish realistic home-buying expectations, it usually is a good idea to work with a property buying expert. Lucky for you, real estate agents are available in cities and towns nationwide, and they can provide home-buying insights that you may struggle to obtain elsewhere.

A real estate agent is committed to a homebuyer's success. As such, he or she will work with a homebuyer and help them prepare for the housing market. A real estate agent will also set up home showings and provide feedback about available residences in a buyer's preferred cities and towns. And if a buyer finds a house that they want to purchase, a real estate agent will help this individual put together a competitive home-buying proposal, too.

When it comes to purchasing a home, you should plan for the best - and worst-case scenarios. If you consider the aforementioned home-buying issues before you begin your house search, you can boost the likelihood of enjoying a successful property buying experience.

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