When you hear “curb appeal,” most people might imagine a perfectly manicured lawn bordered by colorful perennial flowers. But if you’re selling your home when the snow arrives, lush landscaping might not be an option. You’ll need to get creative with your winter curb appeal to give buyers a great first impression!
And trust us, winter curb appeal is well worth the effort. On average, homes with well-kept lawns and professional landscaping sell for 7-10% more than comparable homes with exterior blemishes or untidy front yards.
If that’s not enticing enough, nearly 90% of potential home buyers start their search online through platforms like Zillow or Realtor.com. This means having an eye-catching photo gallery that highlight’s your home’s curb appeal is an absolute necessity, especially during the slower winter market.
To help you sell your home this holiday season, we put together this list of 5 simple and cheap winter curb appeal ideas to beautify your exterior no matter how frightful the weather may be.
1. Invest in New Address Numbers & A Mailbox
An easy (and very affordable) way to instantly boost winter curb appeal is to update those address numbers and your mailbox. Swapping out address numbers takes less than an hour and only requires the new numbers, nails, and a hammer. You can find plenty of options like these on Amazon for under $10!
Just be sure to choose a style that complements your home’s architecture and match the finish to either the mailbox or your door hardware.
If you have a post mailbox facing the street, it’s likely one of the first features a buyer will notice about your home. Replace your rusty mailbox with a new one from a hardware store like Home Depot or Lowes. If your existing mailbox just needs a cleaning, there are plenty of online tutorials using products you probably already have under the sink.
Just don’t forget to brush snow off your new address numbers and mailbox before open houses and home showings!
2. Make Your Porch Shine
During the gloomy winter season, your home needs all the glow it can get. Add lanterns to your porch to bring your winter curb appeal to life in dreamy evening listing photos. A well-lit home is also essential for impressing buyers who drive by your property at night.
As for décor, keep it simple. You want your choices to appeal to the masses, so a few throw pillows in a rocking chair and winter plants will do just fine. Additionally, you should shop for a doormat that’ll stand up to wet, muddy boots all winter long. While the doormats with wild patterns or messaging on them are super fun, they could be off-putting to potential buyers who don’t relate. Try to stick to solid patterns, and a simple “welcome” message if words are unavoidable.
3. Tidy Up Your Yard
Even if a potential buyer lacks a green thumb, they’ll notice a dying plant or bush in need of a trim. Remove anything dead or unlikely to survive winter from your front yard and porch. You’ll also want to bag up and dispose of autumn leaves that accumulate on the tops of bushes for a tidier appearance.
Bright florals popular in the spring and summer months won’t thrive in winter, so don’t bother filling your planters with them in fall. Instead, swap out warm-weather favorites with winter-hardy options.
Some evergreen shrubs that survive and thrive all winter long are:
- Inkberry Holly
- Evergreen Azalea
- Boxwood
- Mountain Laurel
- Golden Euonymus
- Winter Heath
- Oregon Grape
- Bearberry
- Cotoneaster
- Blue Holly
Bonus tip: Before every home showing or open house, check your front yard for pet droppings and yellow snow — your furry friend’s morning mess could be a turn-off for buyers!
4. Give Your Front Door a Fresh Coat of Paint/h5>
Learning how to paint a front door—together with picking the right paint color—can completely change the look of your home. A bright paint color can make the whole front of your home pop, while a darker shade can help the exterior feel elegant and sophisticated. Painting your front door might just be the quickest bang-for-your-buck project to boost your home’s curb appeal. Plus, you can easily knock out this job in a day or two.
5. Go Easy on Holiday Décor
Decorating for the holidays while your home is on the market can definitely amp up your curb appeal if done correctly! Keep the decorations simple so you don’t cover large parts of your home and be sure to keep it non-religious. Decorations featuring menorahs and nativity scenes might make it difficult for someone who doesn’t share your faith to picture themselves living in your home.
A festive feel is fun and welcoming for all parties involved so decorate and show it off!
6. Happy Selling!
Adding a few tweaks to your house not only makes it easier to sell, but it also gives it that nice, polished look that you can take pride in. We hope this article helped you elevate your winter curb appeal so you can close the deal as soon as possible!
Wishing you and your family a very happy holiday season!