At one point or another, all homeowners need to think of budgeting for upgrades in or around their property. Oftentimes, especially in New England, I have a feeling that people pay more attention to the interior of their home and often procrastinate improvements to enhance their property's curb appeal over the years, unless of course they are thinking of selling.Other than kitchens and bathrooms always taking first position on your list of priorities, you must consider curb appeal and what your ROI or return on investment is, so to decide wisely what to address and in what order of priority. It might seem too early to think of addressing these improvements during the winter season, but doing so now could potentially help you save money in labor if such improvements get done during the season when contractors are typically not as busy, or at least you'll be able to secure a spot on your trusted contractor's schedule if you plan to do work during the next spring or summer time.Here are five items that offer great ROI and boost your curb appeal exponentially: ENTRY DOORFrom early Chinese philosophy to ancient Greek architecture, front doors have always communicated a lot about the character of the people who lived in a house. But aside from all conjectures, keep in mind that this is what a buyer sees first when touring your property and first impressions do count! And if you are not looking to sell but you simply wish to revamp the look of your entryway, a survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors last year found that a nice front door received a happiness and satisfaction score of 9.7 out of 10!If your front door needs to be replaced, pay close attention to its quality, as a good energy star-rated door will help you cut your energy costs with fewer air leaks. Also, you can easily recuperate 80 percent of your investment or more if you can properly install it yourself!Lastly, pick a color that matches the overall look of your home and your character:RED - If you love to entertain guests all the time, nothing is more inviting than a red door. Red entry doors in early America indicated welcoming households where weary travelers might stop for the night. It is always nice to match them with white casings and polished chrome hardware. If the red is very rich, dark hardware sort of loses itself in it.GREY - Gray is the color of dignity and knowledge. It also symbolizes compromise for being a mix of black and white. Gray was a typical color in early American homes in New England and became in vogue in the Netherlands, during the 17th century.BLACK - A black door with a nice white trim symbolizes authority and power and reminds of the neoclassical architecture of the late 18th century.WHITE - White is the color of purity. A white door is neutral and stands out beautifully especially when it's used as an entry door on red brick buildings, as well as beige or grey siding. FRONT PORCHA new wood front porch can offer an incredible boost to your curb appeal. If you have an existing one with concrete footings and a solid pressure treated structure, you might be lucky enough to only need new flooring, steps and balusters. The project can involve more time and more money if the columns need to be replaced.Now here are my two tips:1 - Unless you're on top of your yearly maintenance, avoid wooden flooring! It warps, cracks, and it's a pain to maintain it! Do yourself a favor and again consider your ROI. A composite material will cost more initially but will last way longer and it'll give you a great return on investment in the long run.2 - Please, do America a favor. Stop using white PVC handrails and balusters. They look cheap and won't last!SIDING - Fiber-Cement Siding VS Vinyl sidingUnless you live in a brick building, fiber-cement siding is by far the best decision any homeowner in Boston can make. Let's face it, $10/11 per square foot isn't cheap, but it's stable and doesn't flex, which means you will never have to paint again! Also, it fends off termites, moisture, rot, and fire. In a survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors in 2015, fiber-cement siding received a happiness and satisfaction score of 10 out of 10!The other low-maintenance option would be vynil siding. Vinyl is lightweight, low cost, and by far the most popular choice for siding replacement jobs. Unfortunately, in my opinion it should be deemed illegal, as it is a curb appeal killer! But if you really have no other choice, at least choose the installer wisely. The NAR's "Remodeling Impact Report" reported one in four homeowners would have chosen a different siding contractor than the one they chose based on the quality of the labor delivered. GARAGE DOORFor a price tag that's usually in the mid-$2000's including labor, you can effectively change the look of your distressed 2-car garage door and replace it with an insulated steel door. This improvement makes a lot of sense especially when your garage is facing the curb. Think about how appropriate it would be to motorize that door during the winter season in Boston! That's a great feature to have when you can avoid that full minute of freezing pain when you get out of your car to manually open it rather than driving right in with your vehicle. REPLACEMENT WINDOWSA pricey upgrade, but one that offers great ROI and pays itself off over time is the installation of replacement windows. Look for high-grade energy efficiency models with low-E coatings and argon gas insulation for great energy savings. Homeowners primarily choose to replace their windows to max out energy savings, but it is certainly a great upgrade to brag about when you put your house on the market and helps you improve the overall look of your home, especially when you start from getting rid of your "antique" wooden windows that have been painted over and over again and make your house look tired from the outside as well as from the inside!
