Increase Your Curb Appeal With Simple Home Improvements
Does your house have good curb appeal? Do you even know what this term refers to when speaking about home improvements? Curb appeal is the name that’s given to a house that you drive by and want to visit. You know, the well painted home with the crisp clean trim that has flowers and well manicured bushes and trees all around it? That is curb appeal and if your home doesn’t have it, you will never be able to say that you have a “cute” or “cool” house. Worse, if you’re selling your home, nobody is going to want to even look at your house if the curb appeal isn’t up to par.
You should know that you can increase your curb appeal with just a few simple steps that won’t break your bank, but you need to be ready to work to make these things really work for your home. It is worth it because it certainly can add value to your home.
Take A Step Back – Look At Your Homes Exterior
Take a moment or two to look at your house from the street and think about what you see. Does your house look welcoming and appealing? Is the paint still nice and crisp and well done or are the colors of your home looking a bit faded? What about the lawn and hardware on your house? You know, like your exterior lamps and house numbers; how do they match with each other and how do they look against your home? Now you’re looking at the curb appeal of your home and it’s possible that you are seeing it for the very first time.
When you look at a house with lots of curb appeal, what does it have that your home doesn’t? Homes with nice curb appeal make you want to go into the house and this means making sure that the front of the house has good landscaping and looks clean and tidy. For instance, if you have a beat up front door and the porch railing is falling down, you probably won’t be very thrilled about the thought of going to look at this house, but if the front door looks nice and the walkway looks welcoming, you might find that your home has a whole new face.
Quick and Simple Changes
You need to know that it doesn’t take a ton of money to increase your curb appeal and it won’t take a whole lot of time, but increasing the curb appeal for your home says a lot about your overall house, so take the time to make it look good.
Weed all your flower beds and work to keep them weed free. Flowers and shrubs are pretty, but weeds are not. Make sure that you keep weeds out of your flower beds so that you can showcase your gardening ability. You’ll also want to make sure that you have fresh black dirt or mulch lying down in all your flower beds to give it a clean, crisp and finished look. Trim any bushes that might be out of control and cut back flowers that might be too big. Add potted flowers to your porch for an inviting look, but don’t overwhelm your walkway.
Also, give your door and shudders a paint job and consider washing the sides of your house. You don’t have to go buy a new door, but you should make sure that all the trim is clean and freshly painted and that there is no flaking paint anywhere.
When you are working to increase your home’s curb appeal, you should know that it doesn’t really cost all that much money and it can be done in about a day, but the changes will make your home that much more inviting and worth your time and money. If you’re selling your home, you might find that your curb appeal makes the difference between a quick sale and a tough sale.
Home Repairs – When You Need A Repairman
You may need some home repairs if you can’t do it yourself, especially if you are a senior, therefore you need to find a reputable repairman. When you have something in need of repair, of course you want to find someone who will fix the problem correctly and treat you fairly in the process. Unfortunately there are far too many people out there who will try to take advantage of you when you really need dependable services, so before you hire anybody to provide any kind of home repairs you should first go through the process to make sure the person you select is reputable and reliable.
The temptation when something is in need of repair is to open up the phone book and look for a home repairman. All too often we make our decision based on the size and content of an advertisement in the yellow pages rather than on the kind of real information we really need. It’s just simpler and easier to pick out a company, dial the phone, and schedule an appointment. If you want to be sure the repairman you hire is qualified and reputable, however, you must look at the phone book as simply a starting point in your research.
Write down several options you’re considering and then get in touch with the Better Business Bureau. You can do this through their web site or by calling your local office. Ask them to check their records about each company on your list to see if there have been any complaints or issues about them. If the BBB does have a complaint on file, however, that does not necessarily mean you should drop that company from the list. Get more information on what the complaint was about and how it was resolved. Often the most reputable companies are those that respond quickly and professionally when a customer has an issue or concern.
You can also take down the business license information for each potential home repair service and check with your state licensing agency to check out their record. Just as with the BBB, find out if there are any complaints or violations on file, and if there are get more information about how the situation was resolved. Again, you can do this online or over the phone, whichever is easiest and most convenient for you.
Referrals From Friends and Family
Ask your friends and family members for recommendations and referrals. Perhaps they have hired a home repairman for the same type of issue you have and can provide some insight about their quality of service and quality of work. Get some details during your conversation by asking questions such as:
- Was the repairman responsive to questions?
- Was the repairman on time?
- Did he do the work he said he would do?
- Were you unhappy or dissatisfied with any part of the process?
- Was the price estimate made in advance accurate?
- Would you hire this same repairman again?
This is one of the best ways to find a reliable repairman, as long as the person you’re talking with has had a need that’s similar to your own. It doesn’t help you very much to have them go through a list of names and say “yes, I’ve heard of that company before”.
Urgent and Emergency Situations
Sometimes you need a home repairman immediately because the situation is urgent. For instance:
- your water heater is leaking
- a pipe has burst and is flooding your laundry room
- a window has broken and you need it replaced
- or your refrigerator has stopped working and you need it to be fixed.
There are many, many different situations where you simply do not have the time to go through a lengthy process of extensively researching different companies.
In these situations a good approach is to use a home repairman who is associated with a well known company, particularly one with a reputation for excellence and a clear customer service policy. If you do not receive the quality of service you expected then these types of companies are generally more responsive and quicker to resolve problems than are many smaller companies run individually.
Whatever company you choose, be sure to get an itemized receipt for the work that was done, a copy of the company’s service policies, and a contact phone number you can use if you have any questions. Hang on to this receipt indefinitely, because if any problems develop down the road this is your best tool for getting the company to come back and make it right.