How to Make Your House Stand Out From the Crowd

Exterior

• 1

  Trim bushes and trees regularly. Compact shrubs, trees and hedges give your home a neat appearance and help draw the eye to the details of your home's architectural features and landscaping. Use bushes and trees to soften the sharp corners of your home or camouflage unattractive details.

• 2

  Edge your lawn to provide a neat appearance along walkways and borders. A mechanical edger cuts a clean line through the turf.

• 3

  Use flowerbeds to add color. Place the beds near the base of blank walls, around doorsteps and along walkways. A small bed around a mailbox helps anchor the box and integrates it into the landscaping.

• 4

  Mulch bare ground beneath trees or in flowerbeds. Mulch improves plant health and also gives the landscape design a clean, polished look. Use an attractive mulch, such as pine bark or wood chips.

• 5

  Install decorative paving materials to improve the appearance of plain concrete or crumbling hard surfaces. A brick or stone veneer adds an immediate improvement to your home.

• 6

  Use decorative paving materials to improve the appearance of plain concrete or crumbling hard surfaces. A brick or stone veneer adds an immediate improvement to the home.

• 7

  Add decorative landscape art to frame entryways, walks or windows. Decorative planters, statues and window boxes add color and interest.

Interior

• 8

  Keep your home free of clutter. Put mail away as soon as it arrives, hang up coats and keep tables and counters clear. Avoid overloading shelves and flat surfaces. Empty space makes a home feel clean and relaxing.

• 9

  Create conversation areas in the living room. Cluster seating together around a low table instead of pushing all the chairs and couches against the wall. Determine a focal point for the room, such as a fireplace, and arrange the furniture so it leads the eye to this area. Keep the natural traffic paths in the home in mind and arrange furniture so it doesn't block them.

• 10

  Clean the kitchen thoroughly. Repaint cabinets to improve their appearance. Install a tile backsplash behind the stove or sink if there isn't one already. Keep the refrigerator door free of papers and magnets.

• 11

  Organize closets and other storage areas, especially if you are trying to sell your home. Install shelving units or use plastic organizers so the closets appear clean and spacious. This also applies to drawers and cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom.

• 12

  Hang window treatments that are attractive, from both inside and outside of the home. Avoid overly heavy or dark drapes that don't allow natural light inside. Simple window treatments allow the view from the window to become a focal point in the room.

• 13

  Deodorize your home and ensure it smells pleasant. Take out garbage regularly. Use potpourri or plug-in aroma products to give your home a pleasant fragrance.