If you’re planning on putting your home on the market shortly, it’s essential to recognize that first impressions are everything when trying to catch the eyes of buyers. Regardless of if you’re a creative guru with plenty of ideas or someone that doesn’t know where to start, the tips below will make your home pop and help justify a premium price.

Enhance your home’s yard

Yard upkeep is the foundation of making a home look great. Before putting your home on the market, you should focus on routinely mowing your lawn, adding fertilizer, pulling weeds, picking up sticks and rubbish, and removing leaves. If you don’t have enough time to tackle these projects, you could hire a landscaping service. The added value of quality landscaping should make up for the cost. But be careful, it may backfire if you use low quality materials or choose unattractive design which ultimately will reduce your home value.

Freshen up your siding

If you have vinyl siding, you can refresh it using a soft-bristled brush with a long handle, a bucket of general-purpose cleaner and warm water, and a garden hose with a sprayer attachment. You just need to start using the cleaner at the bottom of the siding, rinse, and then repeat with higher rows. You could also use a pressure washer, however, you’ll want to be careful not to overdo the pressure.

Build a deck or patio

While adding a deck and patio isn’t cheap, they both go hand in hand; many homeowners can recoup most costs because of the added perceived value to homebuyers. Decks generally cost up to $10,000 to construct; however, they frequently add nearly $7,000 to the home’s value. Since there’s a variety of materials that you can use to build these sections out, you can choose to have a simple or extravagant design depending on your needs and budget.

Install an outdoor kitchen

Now that homeowners are spending more time at home and outdoors, adding an outdoor grill, bar, countertops, sink, and standard kitchen appliances to your patio is a great way to make your space more attractive. Homeowners who add an outdoor kitchen to their home increase their home’s value by $9,571.

It doesn’t hurt to invest in an element of shade in the outdoor kitchen area, such as canopies or retractable awnings. These are essential to enabling residents to use the outdoor space regardless of the weather.

Add hardscaping to your entranceway.

Hardscaping is a cost-effective way to accent one of the buyers' first things when evaluating your home. Adding a concrete slab to the bottom of your front entranceway only costs about $4-$8 per square foot, including labor. While costs vary based on size and materials, homeowners have plenty of options for materials, such as brick payers, concrete pavers, and natural stone.

Install a new garage door

The final improvement tip we’ll provide is installing a new garage door in your home. They improve energy efficiency, and homeowners generally recoup 95% of the cost due to the increased value they bring to the house. You can choose various styles such as colonial or Victorian, craftsman, or modern.