Curb appeal...building it piece by piece.

You hear it all the time, there are shows about it on HGTV and it is the new buzz word for homeowners, home sellers, and realtors. Not only is it vital when selling your home, but it is the least you can do for your home. Just like in life, first impressions do count.

I remember my sister, Wendy, saying that when you pull up to your home you should feel happy. Happy to be home and happy to see your home- similar to the feeling you get when your kids come in the door from school or your spouse gets home from work. This doesn't mean you have to have a mansion or a perfectly groomed home. Perfection is in the eye of the beholder. We should love our homes; but again in the same way we appreciate clean faces on our kids or a nice new shirt on our hubbies, the importance of taking care of our homes appearance is clear. Spring is a great time to take a good, long look at our home and see if it needs a good wash behind the ears, so to speak! Every time I walk up to my front door lately, I am reminded that I need to wash down the siding. It is covered in a season's worth of road and construction grime and it needs some loving care to show off the creamy color that I am so fond of. I have nail holes on the window trim that need filling, and the windows need a good cleaning, too.

When I look at the front of my home, I am glad that I took the time to pick out lights that I love, a mailbox that I splurged on a bit, and my beloved porch swing. These are all necessary features (o.k. I might be pushing it a bit with the swing) but they make me happy to be home. That is when I know that I have paid the proper attention to the exterior of my house. Things like shutters (often referred to as mascara for windows), an inviting front door colour and mat, planters or window boxes with pretty, abundant flowers are all things a homeowner can do to improve the curb appeal of their home. Taking note of the need for paint touch-ups, weeding of flower beds, replacing burnt out bulbs in exterior lights are cheap, easy fixes and add up to style and perhaps even that happy feeling to aim for when you pull into your driveway!

To be continued...next time, I will discuss picking front door colours, exterior lighting and that perfect mailbox!