I’m a Real Estate Agent: Boost Curb Appeal and Sell Your Home Fast Using These 5 Ideas Under $100

To attract more buyers in this real estate market, where high mortgage rates are adding to concerns of affordability, sellers can take some simple steps to boost curb appeal. By giving buyers a good first impression, you can increase your chances of easily making a sale.

Best of all, you don’t have to break the bank to add value and boost your home’s curb appeal. There are many ways to make your home more appealing while spending less than $100 per improvement.

Two real estate professionals shared some of their top tips to boost your home’s curb appeal affordably with GOBankingRates.

A thorough cleaning can make your home look a lot nicer, and an efficient way to do that can be power washing.  

“One of the least expensive ways to increase curb appeal and make the right first impression is to power wash the exterior of your home and the driveway,” said Filippo Incorvaia, founder/broker at FI Real Estate in the Miami area.

“You can rent a power washing machine if you don’t own one, and the result is years of dirt and grime removed. The fresher, brighter end result implies maintenance was a priority for the seller and the home feels newer immediately,” he added.

Your front door is also an important aspect of your home’s curb appeal, but you don’t necessarily have to replace it to make a good first impression. You can make more affordable updates.

“Other tips I give home sellers who are on a budget are to replace the hardware on their front door, which can be dull or scratched, paint the front door a welcoming color, and add a welcome mat. The little things matter but it’s not necessary to overspend,” said Incorvaia.

Whether you have a huge front yard or some small foliage lining your driveway, you can likely boost your home’s curb appeal with some basic maintenance.

Martha Gaffney, strategic real estate advisor at Real Estate Bees and a real estate agent in New York, suggested steps like mowing your lawn and cleaning out weeds to make your home more attractive. You can also add some plants for just a few dollars, she said.

Another way to make your home look nicer is to touch up paint anywhere that needs it most, said Gaffney.

While some areas might be in need of more investment with a full repaint, you might be able to make do with touch-ups in other areas — even if you’re not a painting expert. Hitting some obvious areas that are nicked or fading could make your home look much nicer.

Similarly, taking steps like filling in stucco cracks and then giving that area a touch up with paint can make your home look much nicer.

These touch-ups can occur around the exterior of your home, but also consider touching up areas inside, too. Even small things like filling in a scratch your dog made in your own furniture could make your home seem well taken care of, despite that not being part of the house itself. While that’s not necessarily boosting your external curb appeal, it goes along with making a good first impression.

Lastly, try decluttering and tidying up your home, starting with any exterior areas that have accumulated unnecessary items. But also include the inside of your home to give buyers more of a clean slate.

“Just decluttering your home and tidying up makes a huge effect on a home,” said Gaffney. “Remember, buyers need to picture themselves in your home, and opening up by decluttering it makes their brains feel invited.”

You can even make money off decluttering by hosting a garage sale, and those profits could then be reinvested into more curb appeal improvements, added Gaffney.

As a bonus tip, consider small touches when showing your home. This doesn’t have to strictly involve external curb appeal — but the more you can do to make a good first impression, the better.

For example: “Cookies in the oven and candles that make your home feel homey provide that welcome feeling to our senses,” noted Gaffney.

Overall, sellers have many opportunities to make their homes look nicer without spending much money. If you’re willing to put in some work, you can boost your home’s curb appeal and ability to make a great first impression, which can lead to a sale.

“Some of the items on this list would make your home look like you spent $10,000 on it, when in reality all you did was give it tender love and care,” said Gaffney.