From Bob Formisano,
Your Guide to Home Repair.
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2. Curb Appeal Home Remodeling Projects
Curb appeal home improvement projects are projects outside or inside the home that are typically lower cost, create emotional appeal and high ROI including other benefits such as being able to sell the house quicker than other homes. This is a big factor when the market is slow in your area.

With curb appeal projects you need to think like a real estate investor. When an investor buys a property and "improves" it for a quick turnaround sale, that's called "Flipping" a property. That's how you need to think with these types of projects. Low cost outlay, high return on investment back.

Unlike Home Repair and Maintenance projects, here you'll focus on the superficial and the emotional. And once your home is in structurally and mechanically sound condition, this is fine. There are many things you can do to improve curb appeal that yield high ROI and faster sales. These include:

• Green Healthy lawn: Edge your lawn. If your lawn is dead or just looks weed infested and lifeless and you're selling soon, it may be worth the money to have new sod laid down. The positive visual impact of a lush green lawn that has been freshly edged is significant.

• Nice Landscaping: A pop of color goes a long way from the curb. Planting some colorful annuals and ground-cover around trees looks great. If your home has no foundation plantings, try to add something at the front of the house. A home with no landscaping looks uninviting.

• Fresh paint: A freshly painted front door is inviting. A freshly painted house, more inviting. Inside the home, try to repaint any rooms that are dingy or in visible need of painting. Freshly painted clean walls and trim make a house look very sharp and clean.

• Clean Windows: Make them shine. Dirty windows in springtime (or anytime for that matter) make a home look unkempt.

• De-cluttering the Home: This is a huge impact for no money at all. Look with a critical eye at all the rooms in your home for clutter. Remove all items causing the clutter and throw them out or at least get them into storage and out of site. A de-cluttered space looks roomy and inviting.

• Cosmetic Upgrades to Key Spaces Such as Kitchen and Baths: This means a possible new plastic laminate counter top, new cabinet hardware, new cabinet door faces, new $400 range if the old one is grungy. Bathrooms should have new modern lighting, new toilet seats, new (they can be inexpensive) faucets if the old ones are older compression type. Again the idea is to make these key spaces especially, look bright and clean.

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