A majority of home buyers use curb appeal to decide whether to look inside the house or not. By spending some time and money to enhance the external appearance of your house you can make sure that the potential buyer comes inside your house. Generally, it is extremely difficult to look at your own house in a manner similar to the prospective buyer.

After living for years in your home, you become accustomed to its looks and functions. However, when you start looking at your home as a commodity that is to be sold, then only you are able to uncover the flaws, blemishes and imperfections. By improving the curb appeal of your house, you can certainly get the highest possible price for the property. Here are a few tips that will help you to perk up the exterior appearance of your home with ease.

View your home rationally

Go out of your house and stand at a point from where you are able to see your home and its surroundings clearly. Ask yourself the following questions:

o What is your first impression of the property?
o What are the best features of the house?
o What regions of the house require repair or improvement?
o What all can be done to make the property more attractive?
You can also take photographs of your house to recognize and underline the troublesome areas easily. Don’t forget to include your backyard in your study.

Note down the areas where improvements are needed

Depending upon your research, make a list of the areas that require repair. On another page, enlist all those regions where large scale improvements are needed. On yet another page, enumerate those external areas of the property where dirt, dust and rust have to be removed.

Prepare a budget for improving the curb appeal

Once you know in detail what needs to be done, you should prepare a budget. This will help you to decide which tasks should be executed first, and what jobs can be done later. An all-inclusive budget will also prevent over expenditure to a large extent.

Execute your home improvement plan

o The first thing that you should do is to scrub and clean the all the external regions of your home. Begin with your garden; mow the lawn, remove the weeds, trim the trees and bushes, and collect and dispose off all the garden garbage. Also remove all the unnecessary garden tools and equipments.
o Kill the mildew and mold growing on the walls, roof, sidewalk and driveway of your house. Ensure that the garage, doors, windows, drains and gutters are spick and span. Use a professional pressure washing service to get the sliding and decks cleaned.
o To enhance the evening curb appeal, put low voltage lamp near the driveway, sidewalk and other important elements. Make sure that your front doors and windows are visible at night. A decorative lamp in the porch will enliven the exteriors right away.
o If your budget permits, give the external walls a fresh coat of paint. Also get the front door and windows re-stained. Choose a color scheme that will increase the curb appeal of your home.

Completing a future home improvement project while saving money takes an inordinate amount of planning. So when is the best time of the year to tackle those home projects that will ensure you save money while in the process of improving your home and biggest investment in your life?

What’s the Best Time of Year to Buy Home Improvement Products?

Generally the best time of year to stock up on home improvement products is during holidays. Retailers try to capitalize on the increased foot track with appealing discounts. If you can plan far enough ahead you can save thousands of dollars on large-scale projects. Next, when the season’s change, you will find mark downs as stores clear out the old merchandise to make room for the next seasons products. Know your wheelbarrow needs to be replaced? Make it last through the summer and you can save up to 25-50% by buying one in September.

Discontinued patterns can also be snagged at a large discount. Not sold on any particular pattern? Ask your local tile store where the discontinued tile is. Just be sure to buy a few extra to ensure you can make it through your project taking into account possible breakage, plan on 2-3%.

Purchase a product for your home renovation December-March to take advantage of the typical slow time for renovation sales. Come fall, contractors are completely booked as people return from vacations and try to prepare their home for the upcoming holiday season.

Looking to Upgrade Your Home Décor?

The best time to shop for new décor is during July when discounts are generally 25-50% off due to the early summer peak wedding season. Retailers offer bargains to attract wedding registrants and guests alike. Linens on the other hand are cheapest in January when “white sales” can net you up to 60% off. Plus new bedroom sheets are a great way to give a room a fresh look for a small investment. April and may are great times to buy cookware as stores try to capitalize on sales to new graduates. Additionally, October and November are great times as stores run sales in hopes of capturing buyers gearing up for their holiday festivities.

Beat the Heat on your Wallet by Tackling Projects in the Summer!

The best paint bargains can be found during those times of the year that people don’t want to be outside in the heat painting. Those are the summer months of June through August. If you’re planning any fall renovations or hosting people over the holidays, buy paint in the summer for the best deal. Additionally buying your garden items at the end of summer can save you a substantial amount of money as Garden Centers clear out summer inventory in September, generally offer 30-50% discounts.

Hardware – Father’s Day is a great time to shop for new hardware. Stores regularly mark down prices to take advantage of all the manly shopping. Thanksgiving and Christmas are also good times to buy because retailers have sales to clear out merchandise.

How about Inside the Home?

Start the year by scouring for deals when special financing is available to help after your increased holiday spending. Window treatments from blinds and shutters to drapes and shades are an easy way to spruce up your look. Now we better spruce up those floors and waiting until the end of the year in late November and December will secure your bargain flooring finds when retailers slash prices to close out the year.

If you take the time to plan out your home projects with your calendar year you can save a substantial amount of money in your home repairs, both inside and out. Don’t forget to remain flexible in your search for the best deals. Be ready to choose a different patter, style, or color and you can net even more savings. Plus if you spot a good deal but don’t yet have the project planned, consider investing now to save for your future renovation. Happy home improvement season!