Fall Curb Appeal: Boosting Your Home's Exterior

Fall Curb Appeal 

Are you searching for ways to add curb appeal in the fall? Here are ten great ways to boost your home's curb appeal during the fall season! 

First impressions matter, which is why curb appeal is so important. It will determine whether a prospective buyer will be interested in purchasing a property at first glance. Accounting for up to 7% of a home's value, a home without curb appeal will generally have a lower value and take longer to sell. 

Having great curb appeal will ensure your home stands out from others on the market. Plus, living in a house with a beautiful exterior makes homeowners feel proud to live there. 

Once the fall season arrives and the weather starts to get cooler, specific steps and tips should be followed to ensure your home's exterior remains in top shape. Just because summer is over does not mean that you should stop taking care of what your house looks like from the outside. 

Fall is a great time to plant colorful flowers, repaint the home's exterior, and bring out festive decorations. If you want to boost your home's curb appeal and complete fall home maintenance, this is the guide for you. 

Check out these fall curb appeal tips 

1. Keep Up Lawn Maintenance 

The number one rule of lawn maintenance is to keep mowing if the grass is still growing. Cool-season grasses such as Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass often grow into late October and November, so it is essential to maintain lawns even in cooler weather. 

During the fall, cut your lawn one to two inches shorter than during the rest of the growing season. Frequent mowing helps keep the lawn free of weeds, diseases, and insects. Mowing your lawn in the fall also helps prepare the grass for winter dormancy by preventing snow mold, which appears as brown spots in the spring. 

Your last cut of the year should be about a week before the first frost. Most grass species go dormant in the winter to protect themselves from seasonal damage and preserve resources. By keeping up lawn maintenance in the fall, you are setting your lawn up for success in the spring. 

2. Clean Out Flower Beds 

Cleaning out and sprucing up flower beds is a great way to boost curb appeal in the fall. Start by removing dead or dying plants and debris to reduce the risk of mold, fungus, bacterial growth, disease, and insects. This is also a great time to pull any weeds before they grow again in the spring. 

Annual flowers that are withered or brown can be composted, and any debris around perennial flowers can be cleaned up before they go dormant in the winter. This is also a great time to plant fall flowers such as annuals, low-maintenance perennials, and evergreen shrubs. Popular fall flowers include mums, roses, dahlias, pansies, and sunflowers, which all bloom around September and October and can add much-needed fall color to your front yard. 

3. Showcase Your Front Door 

The front door is one of the first things people notice when approaching your home, which is why it is essential to keep it clean and show it off to improve your home's curb appeal. There are many ways to showcase the front door during the fall, and decorating the front porch is a fun way to get excited about the cooler season. 

Add a festive wreath to the front door and use a hanger to prevent door damage. Buy one at a local craft store or search online for DIY ideas using dried flowers or foliage. Wreaths are a fun way to add color to the front porch and welcome the fall season. You can even paint your front door a fresh new color. 

Decorate your front porch and the area around the front door with pumpkins and pinecones. Decoratively stack different-sized pumpkins and arrange them next to the door. Add flameless lanterns and candles on the porch steps to add warmth and coziness. 

4. Add Exterior Lighting 

When done correctly, well-planned exterior lighting can do wonders for curb appeal. It also helps improve the home's safety, especially in the fall when the days get shorter. Adding outdoor light fixtures and landscape lighting is an inexpensive way to add a sophisticated look and ambiance to your home. 

Accent your front porch with updated light fixtures, and use string or wall lights to create a magical ambiance and stylish look. Pathway lights along the driveway or throughout the garden can make your home look more welcoming while preventing tripping. 

5. Add an Outdoor Rug or Mat 

Decorative outdoor rugs and mats are cute, festive, and practical. They trap dirt and absorb moisture from shoes and boots. Rugs and mats in front of the door protect floors from damage, preventing slips and trips on the front porch. 

Many cute outdoor rugs and mats in various colors, patterns, and designs are on the market, adding a welcoming touch to the home. Choose one with fall colors or a fun and festive graphic in the fall. Welcome mats are one of the first things visitors notice before entering the home, so pick one that matches your other outdoor decorations. 

6. Add Fall Yard Decorations 

Yard decorations can help your home stand out, and when done correctly, they can also help add to its curb appeal. In the fall, specific decorations such as pumpkins from a local pumpkin patch, hay bales, corn stalks, and fall flowers are affordable and ensure your home stays festive with the season. 

Fall is a harvest season, and utilizing autumn decorations and plants to create a beautiful harvest arrangement will boost your home's exterior during this time of year. Most homeowners start decorating for fall in late August and early September, depending on personal preference, weather, and how long you want your decorations to last. 

When choosing yard decorations during this time of year, consider whether your decorations are weather-resistant and durable enough to be used and reused for multiple years. This is also a great time to break out the spooky Halloween decorations and visit local haunted attractions. 

7. Clean Out the Gutters 

It is always a good idea to clean out the gutters regularly, especially in autumn, due to the large amount of leaves and debris that fall during this particular season. It is recommended that the gutters be cleaned out after the first wave of leaves come down, and then a final cleaning should be done right before winter. This is very important for those living near large trees so the gutters can function properly through fall and winter. 

Clean gutters prevent clogging, freezing in the winter, and rusting in the summer. While it is always best to hire a professional service, homeowners can use a leaf blower to blow leaves and other debris from the gutters, followed by a garden hose to flush out the downspouts and spot any leaks. 

You can add gutter cleaning to your regular maintenance checklist to ensure your gutters flow smoothly and work properly throughout the year. 

8. Spruce Up the Exterior 

Much like you should maintain lawn maintenance, sprucing up the exterior during the fall season is another excellent way to help curb your home's curb appeal. This can be accomplished by raking or using a leaf blower to remove fallen leaves and adding fall colors throughout the yard in shades of red, orange, and yellow. 

Fall is also a great time to paint the home's exterior since the weather is generally cooler. The best exterior paint colors for selling a house are neutrals such as white, beige, and gray. Homes painted in these colors typically sell faster and receive the most significant boost in resale value since they are simple and timeless. 

This is also the perfect time of year to clean your siding and eliminate any dirt, discoloration, mold, mildew, and algae that appeared during the summer. You can use a garden hose or pressure washer to clean the siding before repainting the exterior. 

Replacing hardware will also make a big difference in your home's curb appeal and is generally inexpensive. Replace exterior door knobs, the door knocker, house numbers, and even the mailbox as long as you receive HOA approval. 

9. Trim Trees and Shrubs 

While it is generally not reccommended to trim trees and shrubs during the fall because it can cause damage to the plant, this is an excellent time to remove any dead branches that may become a hazard later in the season. 

Light thinning and shaping can be done any time of year, and certain plants, including shrub roses, perennials with disease issues, and plants prone to slugs, will benefit from pruning in the fall so that they can flourish. 

It is reccommended not to prune or trim spring flowering shrubs and trees, ornamental grasses, climbing roses, winter perennials, hardy perennials, and seedhead perennials. 

10. Add Container Plantings 

Container plantings are a welcoming addition to entryways, porches, walkways, and balconies. Potted plants in the fall are best planted in September to mid-October, filling your landscape with texture and color. This gives the plants time to root in and fill out before winter. 

Fill your containers with fall favorites, annuals, and perennials. Fall is a great time to play with warm colors and different textures. Traditional fall plants added to container plantings are annuals that appear as summer ends, including mums, pansies, asters, and ornamental cabbage and kale. 

Choose a container that will allow space for your plants to grow. Combine accent plants and plants that will spill over the side of the container with a plant that will add height. Ensure that all container plants are well watered before the first freeze. 

FAQs 

Is curb appeal worth it? 

Yes, curb appeal is worth it since it can affect the value of your home and how it sells. Curb appeal accounts for up to 7% of a home's value, so it is imperative to make your home look its best on the outside. 

What color house has the highest resale value? 

Neutral colors like white, beige, gray, and blue tend to have the highest resale values and generally sell faster. Neutral colors are considered more appealing to home buyers, while bright, bold colors can appear overwhelming. 

What adds the most curb appeal? 

The most significant things a homeowner can do to increase curb appeal include painting the home's exterior, cleaning the windows, refreshing the landscape, upgrading the mailbox, and power washing the driveway. 

Methodology 

To determine the best ways to boost your home's exterior during the fall, information and data were sourced from the University of Texas at Arlington, HGTV, Good Housekeeping, and Southern Living. 

Boosting Your Home's Exterior in the Fall - Final Thoughts 

Creating great curb appeal in the fall can be difficult, but it will set your home up for success going into winter. Despite the colder temperatures, fall is a beautiful season, and there are plenty of ways to keep your house looking clean and inviting. 

Whether you are looking to sell your home or are interested in finding a home with plenty of curb appeal, the experts at Raleigh Realty are ready to assist you. Raleigh is a great place to live, and there are plenty of homes for sale to fit your lifestyle and budget.