Ideas for making a great first impression and increasing your home’s value.

Is your front door looking tired? Here are five ways to give your exterior entryway a makeover to make it more inviting and make it worth more to buyers.

Add décor that reflects your personality

One of the quickest ways to freshen up your front door is with décor like a wreath or other door hangings.

If your idea of wreaths are rings with a few embellishments, think again. Picture frames, skis, branches, bike wheels and heart-shaped frames can be the foundation for door décor that lets your true colors shine. Check out Pinterest for visual inspiration.

The only thing quicker to update than a wreath is a welcome mat. For as little as $20, and the time it takes to toss out the old one and lay down a new one, you can add a personalized touch to your entryway.

Update the hardware

Over time, weather and sunlight can damage the finish on door hardware, leaving it looking shabby. It’s relatively simple to replace door handles, escutcheons (decorative plates behind the hardware), and kickplates with basic tools. Get DIY how-to instruction from This Old House.

Shed new light on the situation

Do your exterior entryway light fixtures look dated? Replace them with contemporary ones that better reflect your style. When choosing new fixtures, look for ones that minimize glare, don’t shine into your neighbor’s home and are dark-sky friendly. (Learn more about preserving dark skies.)

Keep planters filled all year ’round

The blooms of summer are long gone, but right now mums and asters provide the perfect pop of color at your front door. When those blooms fade, you don’t have to go without botanical delights. Switch out plants for gourds and autumn leaves for Thanksgiving.

For the holidays, switch it up again with evergreens, red dogwood stems, painted branches and pine cones. Again, Pinterest is a great source of ideas.

Some door colors command higher home prices

If you’re planning to sell your home, you can favorably impress buyers before they ever step inside with certain door colors.

When Zillow analyzed more than 135,000 photos from homes sold around the country, they found that homes with black or charcoal front doors sell for $6,271 more than expected! That’s a tremendous return considering painting a door is one of the least expensive home improvement projects.   

Consumers helps more than 2,000 members finance land, first and second homes, and home improvement projects each year. We’d love to help you with a mortgage or home equity line of credit; contact us online or call us at 800-991-2221.