Curb appeal is more than just what your home looks like from the curb. It incorporates everything from the landscaping and the exterior color scheme, to the driveway, sidewalks and entryways. Here are four springtime projects that can make your home sparkle like dew in the early morning sunshine.

Landscaping

Impressive landscaping can be as easy as mowing your lawn on a regular basis, watering it, and keeping it clear of sticks, twigs and other organic material. You can also put an attractive face on your home by pruning your shrubbery, planting flowers and keeping it as clutter-free as possible.

Touch-Ups

Over time, paint chips and peels; and siding starts to warp, mold and rot. It's inevitable; however, it can be dealt with easily and, in most cases, inexpensively, with just a small amount of preventative maintenance.

Sandpaper and some elbow grease are typically all that's needed to smooth over peeling paint and paint chips. Once this is accomplished, apply primer and paint for a brand spanking-new exterior.

Roofs and Gutters

Unless they leak, sag, break or fall down, roofs and gutters are easy to overlook or even ignore entirely. Do this at your own peril, homeowner! Truly awesome curb appeal is attained through meticulous attention to just these types of details.

Water is lazy; it will always take the path of least resistance. Instead of trying to flow through a rock, it will simply go around it. Gravity forces water to exploit imperfections in your home, such as cracks, holes and gaps, which can lead it to invade your living quarters.

It might be worth your time (and money) to have a roofing expert take a look and give you some directions repairs and improvements you can make yourself.

Fencing

A fence does more than just protect your lawn from the neighbor's dog's leavings. It impacts your home's curb appeal as much as your landscaping or exterior color scheme.

Unless you plan to replace or remove your entire fence, doing some simple stuff, like adding a fresh coat of paint or blasting it clean with a pressure washer, can yield significant results in a relatively short period of time.

Finally, take a moment and look at your home from the curb. That's right, actually go outside and try to see it with the critical eye of a potential homebuyer. Brave the questioning stares from your neighbors and take your time; examine everything. This should open your eyes to at least some of the obvious places to start your spring home improvements. A little time, effort and, let's be honest, money can save you some of each of these headache-inducing issues in the long run.