7 Quick and Easy Curb Appeal Tips You Can Use to Sell Your Home FAST

If you’re selling a home in Ellicott City, Catonsville, Columbia, or anywhere else in Baltimore County or Howard County, your REALTOR® has probably already talked to you about curb appeal – the act of sprucing up your home’s exterior to create an amazing first impression with prospective buyers. But what can you do, right now, that will improve your chances of a fast sale at or above your listing price? This guide explains.

We’re not going to tell you that you need to hire a professional landscaper to improve your curb appeal (although you can, if you’d like to). Check out these seven quick and easy curb appeal tips you can follow today:

Pressure-wash the sidewalk and driveway
Pick some easy plants to put in the ground near your porch
Repaint your front door
Upgrade your front door hardware, house numbers and light fixtures
Fix cracks in the driveway or sidewalk
Put up a window box or two
Clean up your patio furniture

Here’s a closer look at each.

Quick and Easy Curb Appeal Tip #1: Pressure-wash the sidewalk and driveway

Rent a pressure washer to get the grime off your sidewalks and driveway. These powerful tools, which you can usually borrow from your local home improvement store, can wash away years of dirt, dust and spills.
Pro Tip: Never pressure-wash your house. You could do serious damage – cosmetic or structural – so if you feel your home’s exterior needs to be cleaned, do it by hand or hire a professional.

Quick and Easy Curb Appeal Tip #2: Pick some easy plants to put in the ground near your porch

Find some easy-to-care-for (read: hard-to-kill) plants and put them in the ground near your front porch. Butterfly bushes are a great choice. If you don’t want anything permanent, opt for large, potted plants instead.
Related: 5 kitchen staging secrets that can help you sell your home fast

Quick and Easy Curb Appeal Tip #3: Repaint your front door

Add a fresh coat of paint to your front door – you may be surprised at how quickly it revives your whole home. Repainting a door isn’t incredibly difficult, but you do have to take it off its hinges to do it properly. If you’re not sure that you want to go to such lengths, it’s probably worth hiring a professional.

Quick and Easy Curb Appeal Tip #4: Upgrade your front door hardware, house numbers and light fixtures

Invest in a new door handle and lock, house numbers and light fixtures that match. Generally, you can find great-looking (and modern) pieces at a local home improvement store.

Quick and Easy Curb Appeal Tip #5: Fix cracks in the driveway or sidewalk

Repair small cracks in your driveway or sidewalk to show prospective buyers that you’ve taken the time to care for your property. You can use this 5-minute tutorial to find out how.

Quick and Easy Curb Appeal Tip #6: Put up a window box or two

Add a few window boxes to street-facing windows and fill them with beautiful plants. You can buy them pre-made or build your own, but either way, they’ll give your curb appeal an instant boost.
Related: 3 bathroom staging tricks you can’t afford to ignore

Quick and Easy Curb Appeal Tip #7: Clean up your patio furniture

Spring for new cushions on your patio furniture. Buyers love to see extended living space outdoors, and when they notice that you have space on the porch for relaxing, enjoying the sunset or having a cup of coffee, they’ll form a more favorable impression of your entire home.

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