Curb Appeal Tips from Carter Oosterhouse

Get your house sold--or make the Joneses keep up with you--with these tips to up your curb appeal from home improvement handyman Carter Oosterhouse, host of HGTV's Carter Can and Red, Hot & Green and a man devoted to curb appeal at his own Michigan home.


Curb Appeal Tip #1: Look at your home from a neighbor's perspective.

"People don't look at their own homes the way they look at other people's homes," Oosterhouse says. Turn a critical eye on your own house (or porch, or apartment doorstep, or three-car garage). If you've criticized Mrs. Magillicutty's siding lately, take a long hard look at your own.

Try walking across the street and looking at your curb appeal from a neighbor's perspective. Most of what you see, Oosterhouse says, is the view you get from pulling in and out of the driveway. Try to see your home the way others, including potential home buyers, do. If potential buyers see cracks in your driveway, they'll probably assume that you haven't bothered to keep up the house either.


Curb Appeal Tip #2: Comparison shop.

Take a long walk around the neighborhood. How does your mailbox/vinyl siding/garden gnome compare to nearby residences with similar architectural details? You don't want to stick out like a sore thumb; you want to stand out like a perfectly manicured thumb for optimal curb appeal.


Curb Appeal Tip #3: Start with the landscaping.

Oosterhouse says sprucing up the landscaping is a quick way to increase curb appeal on any budget. If you're not looking to spend much, simply trim the bushes and hedges. No need to get all Edward Scissorhands; just make things less unruly. If you can spend a bit more, think about adding some plants to give the yard a literal breath of fresh air. "A planter garden is a fun way to do it," Oosterhouse says. "Then add pavers to outline the planter garden. Make a meandering walkway from your sidewalk. Try using woodchips." Check out these inspiring yards from AOL Gardening.

Curb Appeal Tip #4: Fix up the front door.

Oosterhouse says updating the front door can give you the most bang for your buck. "This is everyone's first impression," he says. Make it a good one by giving the door a new look, one that suits you and your interior style of decor. Repaint or restain the door. Polish or replace the knob. Add molding or creative house numbers. It's little things--like replacing a cruddy old mailbox--that will make people pause as they walk their dogs and say, "Oh, that's lovely." And that's curb appeal.

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