What is on the outside of your rental home is just as significant as what is inside. When guests arrive at an untidy house and see a neglected front yard, it’s easy for them to feel misled if your ad has lovely interior images but no exterior photos, or even worse, if the exterior photos you do provide don’t accurately depict the property as it actually is. Therefore, “First impressions matter!”
Don’t wait till guests enter the property before making a good first impression. From the minute guests enter your home, instill a sense of wonder. Your home’s outside is equally as significant as its interior.
Within the first seven seconds of entering your property, a guest will acquire an opinion of your Airbnb, thus it is important that first impressions be positive. Your home must convey a powerful visual story during these pivotal times.
Definition of Curb Appeal
Your vacation home’s curb appeal is determined by how it appears from the outside and by the distinctive qualities it exhibits. By displaying a magnificent façade, you want to give your guests an idea of what to expect inside your home. You may increase the curb appeal of your Airbnb property by maintaining its outside.
What are the advantages of Curb Appeal for your Vacation Rental?
Your Airbnb’s façade affects how guests view the space and residence. When guests arrive at the site, it serves as the initial visual welcome. Almost every Airbnb host is aware of how crucial curb appeal is for selling a home. It could be required to make certain outside upgrades to your property in addition to the architectural design of your vacation rental in order to increase its curb appeal. It also includes any other outside elements, such as a porch or outdoor seating area, as well as your roof, front door, landscaping, lighting scheme, and paint.
Techniques to Improve Curb Appeal
The first step in boosting curb appeal for your rental is to make the entryway welcoming, clean, and fresh. Minor tactical adjustments can significantly improve this result. Your Airbnb home can become more aesthetically beautiful and inviting by just freshening up the exterior.
1. Enhance the Driveway
The first areas of a house that guests see are the driveways. After a long travel, your guests arrive at your Airbnb property. Given the choice between a weedy driveway and a clean one, which would you prefer? The appearance of a property is improved and the level of care taken by the owners is evident by a tidy, well-kept driveway. Here are some suggestions for building and maintaining a picturesque driveway:
- Using pavers, gravel, or possibly crushed bricks is the most cost-effective option to create a clear path.
- Reseal broken driveways or fix minor cracks to restore their integrity.
- Power washing, which may be done every two weeks or once a month, can get rid of the mud on your driveway.
- The path or driveway might be edged with plants or stones.
- By including a mailbox with some character, you can stand out your driveway.
- Add pathway lights on both sides of the path to give it a contemporary, practical appearance.
- Plow and clear the driveway to prepare it for winter.
- Make sure your maintenance staff has the responsibility of cleaning the driveway on their to-do list before guests arrive.
2. Your Garden Area Should Be Landscaped
Curb appeal of your property should start with landscaping the front yard with plants like grass, trees, and other vegetation. If a rental property wants to stand out out from the competition, it needs to have this feature. When it comes to landscaping, your front yard should be clear and straightforward.
- Your guests won’t want to see withered greenery, so maintain your lawn by regularly watering your plants and trimming the grass.
- Plants – Choose low-maintenance plants and succulents.
- Flowers – Seasonal blooms will add color and life to the entrance of your rental. On your property, plant annuals and perennials that will flourish in your region’s climate.
- By blocking the heat and wind from your home, shade-giving trees can benefit your property by keeping it cool and lowering costs.
3. Paint Your Listing’s Exterior
A fresh coat of paint, new siding, or updated trim can instantly improve the exterior of a property and make your Airbnb appear and feel more friendly. Here are few indicators that painting is necessary :
- The paint color fading
- Exposed raw wood to the elements
- Surface deterioration
- Patches that are blotchy or cracking on surfaces
When considering a retouch, evaluate the entire outside of the property and make sure nothing is missed. Consider the windows, the porch, the garage doors, the back entrances, etc., for instance, if your Airbnb needs a facelift. But, if a makeover hasn’t been done in a while, paint the exterior as much as is required. It goes without saying that this is a costly investment, but if it is peeling or requires significant repair, now is a good time to get it done before more harm is done. Regular painting will keep your Airbnb property always looking its best. Painting a house is recommended every five years or so. Moreover, tax deductions for these kinds of renovations can be taken from Airbnb earnings.
4. Front Door
You may easily improve your curb appeal by having a welcoming front door. Any guest that is driving up to your house will feel welcome. Positive reviews will also come your way if the listing photo is accurate. Here are some pointers to get you going:
- If the door is outdated, you might want to think about replacing it
- A splash of color can improve the appearance of your front entrance. Try painting your front door a striking color that contrasts well with white walls to give it a strong appearance. Cobalt blue or red, for instance, can be very expressive.
- To give the door a touch of pleasant homeliness, hang a wreath on it.
- Choose a color scheme for your wreaths that goes well with the siding on your Home. A classy arrangement for every event, or specially made wreaths for each season.
- A door knocker is another eye-catching addition that can add impact.
- You and your guests won’t have to worry about losing keys, and it enables easy Airbnb self-check-in. Consider installing a smart lock in place of your current lock. As contactless check-ins increase in popularity, switching to digital or keyless locks is a wise decision.
Using all these components in a tasteful way will give your house a distinctive identity and make a statement that is only applicable to it. Pinterest is a fantastic place to find project inspiration for do-it-yourself projects!
Welcome Mat
A welcome mat makes your entrance more inviting. Every home needs welcome mats since they not only capture debris but also offer a warm welcome. Here are a few pointers to get you started:
- In choosing a mat, keep in mind that if your front door is colored, coordinate your mat with it based on the color.
- An excellent approach to update your welcome mat is to switch it out with the seasons. Whether it’s for a holiday greeting or a welcome mat with a spring, summer, or fall theme, you can keep your front entry welcoming all year long with a seasonal welcome mat. In addition to being affordable, these are typically manufactured of durable materials.
Customized House Numbers
House numbers ought to be visually appealing and simple to locate. If you install contemporary, distinctive house numbers, your Airbnb home will look more appealing. Here are some options for you:
- Choose huge house numbers as an upgrade for your address.
- Make the numerals stand out by choosing a contrasting color for them.
- The numbers should have backlighting to make them visible at night.
- These goods, which come in a variety of hues and finishes and are made of anticorrosive zinc alloy, are easily obtainable on Amazon. Since installation components are frequently included with the purchase, they are simple to install and may be mounted to any surface, including wood, cement, or brick.
5. Front Porch
Your front porch welcomes guests before they enter the house and sets the tone for their experience inside. Here are some ideas for improving the ambiance on your front porch:
Porch Light – The correct porch light can greatly improve the ambiance, so help your guests find the door by installing a modern porch light or lantern-style sconces.
Porch Furniture – It’s essential to decorate your porch with the appropriate furniture! Think about including a seating area, a porch swing, a few lounge chairs, or beanbags, as well as some throw pillows and all-weather cushions. The ideal seating layout should accommodate two to four people.
Potted Plants – Potted plants are an easy way to freshen up a porch or doorway. If the porch includes steps, you might want to think about putting a few bright seasonal flowering plants in planters on either side. Position two pots ideally on either side of the front door.
When remodeling your front porch, you should also replace the flooring and paint. You should also look for symptoms of deterioration in the walkway and the steps leading up to your entrance.
6. Outside Lighting
Outside lighting is a requirement for all Airbnb rentals! Installing porch lighting and garden lights will help your Airbnb guests feel safer and more at home as they enter your home after dark, which will also assist them find their way inside.
Your property will feel luxurious in the evening light thanks to elegant outdoor lighting, and you may improve curb appeal while also ensuring the safety of your guests. Use these suggestions to illuminate the outside of your Airbnb:
- Add enough lighting so that guests can identify your home from the listing images you have placed. Light up the entire front area of your home.
- Choose bright lighting alternatives since traditional incandescent lighting is wasteful and dim. Change these out for energy-saving LED light bulbs. They brighten your porch and make the surroundings more visible, making it simpler for guests to locate your home number.
- Invest in some solar-powered LED garden lights to provide some light to your outside space; they’re easy to set up and effective. By hiding lights behind plants or emphasizing parts of your home, you can improve the aesthetic of your property. Other suggestions include adding lighting to certain windows, paths, and outdoor lounging places in your home.
- Maintain the external lighting in good shape! – Exterior lights are frequently installed in structures that harbor dust, dirt, and even insects. Hence, make sure your external lighting is spotless before inviting company over. Your guests will notice dirty porch lights more than ones that are clean, and you don’t want that to show up in their evaluations!
- Keep the lights on after dark! Leave them on at night, but turn them off during the day. If you want a little tech edge, you might want to think about smart lighting. It’s fantastic that Philips Hue lighting has choices for automation. They use less energy because they are LED. Even including smart lighting in your listing’s details can help it stand out!
7. Spruce up your Windows
In order to boost the aesthetic appeal and atmosphere of your Airbnb, windows are a crucial part of the external design. These suggestions may prove useful to you.
- Replacement of damaged, broken, or outdated window panes is a must. This improvement could be expensive, but in the long run, you will gain from it.
- Clean all your windows thoroughly, removing any dirt. A window that is immaculately kept lets in more light and looks fantastic from the outside.
- Consider adding shutters to your windows for a decorative upgrade to enhance the unique ambiance of your Airbnb.
- Moreover, flower boxes can be used to decorate the windows of your Airbnb property. These ornamental planters are excellent for raising the curb appeal of your house to new heights.
8. Make a Seating Space Outside
There is no need for a big backyard to set up an outdoor seating area. A wonderful strategy to acquire a competitive advantage and keep busy all year round is to maintain a well-kept lawn and lovely flowers while adding eye-catching recreational components to your outdoor space.
Here are some easy and affordable things to think about because visitors adore discovering warm spaces where they can unwind.
- The installation of a designated seating space to a front porch or garden can be wonderful. Provide a seating area with hammocks, sun beds, or lounge chairs so that you may read, take a sunbath, or just unwind in the evenings.
- An excellent addition to a garden close to a pond or water feature is a set of easily accessible benches.
- By adding patterned pillows, you may liven up your outdoor furniture! Make sure the exterior of the house matches any themes or color schemes you’ve chosen for the interior.
9. Roof Maintenance
Never forget to check the condition of your roof. There is no denying that the quality of your roof enhances the grandeur of your house and increases the value of your property. Here are a few useful pointers:
- When doing inspections, look at the roof to check for any holes or other indications of deterioration.
- To find out what must be done, it is advised to employ professionals to have this examined.
- If you haven’t updated, revamped, or occasionally even replaced your roof in a while, it might be time.
The aesthetic of your home might be significantly changed by a new roof. Applying the finishing touch will completely finish the look!
