Boosting Your Home’s Curb Appeal Affects More Than Just Your Resale Value
David Steckel•Last updated Jul 27, 2023
Last updated Jul 27, 2023
If you’ve ever toured an open house or watched a home renovation show, you’ve likely heard the term “curb appeal” more often than you can count. The phrase refers to more than just neatly manicured lawns or charming shutters — it’s shorthand for the flash of admiration inspired by the sight of a home’s exterior.
At its core, curb appeal is a homeowner’s first presentation of themself to the neighborhood. And while curb appeal can be something we fixate on and try to analyze, we simply know it when we see it. But unlike interior home elements, street-facing exteriors impact more than just personal joy and resale value. An individual home’s curb appeal impacts the whole neighborhood — and, as a result, can build relationships or even create tensions on the block.
To dig deeper into curb appeal, in partnership with Nextdoor, we surveyed* more than 1,000 homeowners across the country to find out how much they value curb appeal, how it affects their neighborhoods (and neighborly relationships), and what projects have the greatest impact.
What makes up good (and bad) curb appeal.
Curb appeal is the sum of many parts. For homeowners on a budget, small upgrades, such as replacing a mailbox or adding planter boxes, can instantly spruce up a home.
If you’re looking to make a bigger investment, homeowners told us: landscaping is the biggest bang for the buck, with 82% rating it as a major improvement. A majority also agreed that painting the exterior (78%), a well-kept lawn (73%), and beautiful windows (68%) all dramatically improve curb appeal.
On the flip side, the biggest curb appeal “faux pas” are trash in the yard (81%) and overgrown landscaping (81%), followed by an overgrown lawn (77%), parking old cars, RVs, vans, or boats out front (64%), poorly maintained fences and exterior (58%) and a home’s exterior needing a wash or paint job (57%).
One thing is for sure: curb appeal matters. Almost unanimously, 98% of homeowners feel that having a home with good curb appeal is important. And homeowners are making the investment. This year, curb appeal projects on Thumbtack were up 24% year-over-year in the last six months.
The ROI of investing in your curb appeal.
More than half of homeowners (54%) say their neighborhood or street’s curb appeal impacted their decision to buy their home. When it comes to quantifying the importance of curb appeal, 57% say a beautiful exterior improves a home’s value by at least $20,000 — and 16% say the impact is over $50,000. On average, homeowners judge a house with high curb appeal to be 34% more valuable than the exact same house with poor curb appeal.
Given its emotional and financial significance, it’s no surprise that 84% of homeowners plan to invest in their home’s curb appeal this year. And 58% plan to spend at least $5,000 to boost their curb appeal annually (with 30% earmarking more than $10K per year).
According to data on Thumbtack, it can cost roughly $5K for a light curb appeal boost, $15K for a medium boost, and $25K for a bigger overhaul.
The impacts of curb appeal on neighborhood relationships.
Curb appeal can spark strong feelings. The majority of our respondents (89%) say they feel proud of their home’s curb appeal, and most had opinions about their neighbors’ homes. Nearly everyone (94%) told us they think it’s important to have neighbors who maintain their homes’ curb appeal. Just under half (46%) say they have at least one neighbor with an “eyesore” property. And even if a neighboring home with poor curb appeal was only hypothetical, 71% of people said they would think negatively of that homeowner (with 19% even admitting they’d be more likely to gossip about said neighbor).
“Strong curb appeal demonstrates a deep investment in a neighborhood. It elevates the sense of community pride and fosters a welcoming atmosphere for residents and visitors alike,” said Heidi Andersen, Head of Revenue at Nextdoor, “For many neighbors, the neighborhood is a gathering place, a central hub, and most importantly, a place they come to for genuine connections, support, and shared experiences among its residents. Every day, neighbors everywhere are transforming houses into homes and streets into welcoming avenues for their communities.”
In fact, when given the choice, most people unsurprisingly preferred to be around homes with attractive exteriors — 75% of homeowners told us they go out of their way to seek out neighborhoods with the best curb appeal, be it to spend time with family and friends (40%), walk their dog (39%), exercise (36%), or go out to eat (22%).
To further underscore the communal value of curb appeal, 81% of homeowners say they collaborate with neighbors on shared projects or initiatives that could enhance the overall attractiveness of the neighborhood. And 44% have offered to help their neighbor with a front yard project such as lawn mowing, snow blowing or leaf raking.
The cities with the best curb appeal.
We looked at the cities where curb appeal projects were a top priority across the U.S. and found the cities with the best curb appeal along with their average cost for small, medium, and large curb appeal projects.
According to Thumbtack, the cities with the best curb appeal in the U.S. are\*\*\*:
Ready to get started on an exterior update? Download the Thumbtack app (available on iOS and android) to instantly book projects to help boost your home’s curb appeal.
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