Homeowners often wonder what they can do to make the front of their homes look more inviting and increase curb appeal. Sometimes, it’s about more than the color of your front door or the type of shutters you have on your home.
What you choose to do with your landscaping can completely transform how your home looks from the street. In fact, the National Association of Realtors reports that homes with high curb appeal sell for 7% more on average than those without similar attributes.
Here are some of our top landscaping tips to give your home better curb appeal.
Consider Your Home
Many homeowners look at the slope, shape, or size of their front lawn but overlook one critical element: their home. When designing landscaping, you should also consider the architecture of your home. For example, a minimalist garden would work well with a modern structure, and fuller landscaping would complement a farmhouse or country house look.
Think About Proportions
Next, consider your proportions before you plant. If your home has a large flat front, you’ll want more midsized plants and shrubs instead of tiny flowers that will look lost. The way that you repeat and group plants will have an impact as well.
Use Hardscaping
You can use hardscape elements like a deep sidewalk to improve your home’s curb appeal. Other ideas include adding a bench or a small pergola if you have the space.
Refer to the Color Wheel
Consider the color of your home when making some of your landscaping choices. For example, you can accent a blue house with a collection of white, yellow, and purple flowers. A home with red trim will look stunning with flowers that are bright yellow, orange, and white.
Emphasize the Journey
Ultimately, the front of your home should serve a purpose – to move people from the street to the front door. Make it so that the journey and transition are pleasing to the eye as well as a pleasant journey. For example, you can curve the walkway to pass through a garden.
Include Large Plantings Where Appropriate
Most people are going to make a quick judgment about your home’s curb appeal. You can help emphasize your landscaping with some large elements like groupings of plants and mature trees. Just be sure you won’t block doors and windows with any plants that might grow too large over time.
Build a Low-Maintenance Garden
Not all homebuyers love to garden, so having something elaborate in your front yard might be a turnoff for some potential homeowners. But, if you love gardening, build a garden in front of your home that you can market as “low maintenance.” For example, many shrubs won’t require a lot of care, and petunias won’t shed petals everywhere.
Plan Your Seasons
Finally, don’t forget that your landscaping is going to appear different depending on the season. You can make it look appealing year-round by choosing some elements that will keep their structure, such as shrubs and trees, and then plant others as the seasons change.
Whether you’re looking to sell your home or just want some tips to make your next house your own, The Lafayette Team can help. Our team of knowledgeable and successful residential real estate specialists knows the Lake Murray, SC area intimately. Contact us today to start a conversation about your home buying or selling goals.