6 Exterior Design Trends That Could Lower Your Home’s Resale Price

When it comes to selling your house, curb appeal is often cited as one of the most important factors in attracting potential buyers. But before you rush out to your front yard and spend hundreds or thousands on unnecessary upgrades, listen to the experts. 

There are some curb-appeal updates that will help sell your home faster and for more money, but others won’t offer a return on investment and could actually hurt your home's value. Here, experts offer tips on which curb appeal updates to go for and which to skip. 

1. Painted Brick

Painting your front door to add a pop of color or updating your home's exterior with fresh paint is typically a great way to spruce up and appeal to buyers. But painting features of your home that don’t require paint and don’t usually have them could be a bad move, especially when it comes to brick. 

“Painting exterior brick, regardless of what color, can be a red flag for some buyers,” says Jason Strat, senior real estate agent at Rocket Homes. “Natural brick requires little to no maintenance, while painted brick will need to be repainted every three to five years. This added maintenance might be a dealbreaker for buyers interested in a low-maintenance exterior.”

2. Bright, Bold Colors

Before you go to the home improvement store to pick up a gallon of your favorite color, be sure to choose a hue strategically.  “When choosing exterior paint colors, it’s best to avoid dark or overly bright colors,” says Albert Safdie, an agent at Coldwell Banker Warburg. “Stick with classic, timeless tones that complement the neighboring properties.”

And avoid overly bold colors. “If I were painting a house for curb appeal, I would venture towards white, cream, and dark green,” says broker Ellen Sykes of Coldwell Banker Warburg. “I would stay away from purple, orange, yellow, brown—if not in a woodland setting, red and black.”

Keep in mind that new paint could also be a bad thing for potential buyers if you choose a unique color. “Potential buyers may factor in the future cost of repainting the entire exterior,” Safdie adds. “This can ultimately impact the perceived value of the home and lead to a lower purchase price.”

3. Poorly-Placed Trees and Shrubs

Flowers and fresh mulch work wonders in a front yard, making your home look inviting and well-taken care of. Experts agree that paying to have some landscaping done is a great way to improve your home’s curb appeal. 

However, consider skipping the trees and massive shrubs. “Planting trees too close to the house can be a potential concern for buyers. They might worry about future damage to the exterior or roof and see tree removal as an additional expense they’ll need to deal with later,” Strat says. “This can negatively impact a property’s appeal and perceived value.”

Sykes points out that the placement of particular plants is also key. “Rows of round boxwood shrubs and mountain pines placed strategically in the garden beds disrupt the enjoyment of a pretty garden,” Sykes says. “Putting trees in front of windows is also a mistake—you can’t see outside, and it makes the house dark. I am seeing a lot of grasses these days, and they can be effective, although not on the front lawn of a suburban dwelling. They belong to houses in more rural areas.”

4. Overly Customized Upgrades

Your real estate agent will be able to tell you which parts of your home’s curb appeal could use some attention. To that end, it’s wise to make improvements to damaged siding, overgrown flower beds, rusty mailboxes, and squeaky screen doors. 

But as you tweak your home’s look and feel, keep in mind that your goal is to appeal to the broadest range of buyers. With that in mind, don’t over-customize the look and feel of your home if it means alienating a large group of shoppers. 

“While such additions may be well-intentioned, what one homeowner sees as creative or luxurious might not align with a buyer’s taste,” Safdie says. “It’s best to keep architectural elements classic and neutral, allowing for future owners to customize the home to their liking. Personalized or unconventional features can become negotiating points and potentially reduce the final purchase price.”

In New York, Safdie said one homeowner added a skylight above a bathtub, which allowed for natural light but raised privacy concerns for some buyers.

5. Large Front Doors

A recent curb-appeal trend has been to replace the front door with something larger and grander. While this might create a show-stopping facade, bigger isn’t always better.

“If the house is huge, then a large and elaborate front door installation could be in proportion and appropriate,” Sykes says. “Putting them on a small to medium-sized house throws the proportions off. Unless you have taken architectural or art courses, you may not realize what is bothering you, but subliminally you are reacting, and not favorably.”

Instead, experts say to opt for a new door that is the right size and shape. “Stick with a nice door, not too large, and perhaps window panes on either side, unless you like to be private until you open the front door,” Sykes suggests. 

6. Expensive Lighting Systems

Lighting is one of the best ways to highlight features of your home and improve curb appeal. Experts typically recommend adding spotlights to showcase landscaping and walkway lights to illuminate paths leading to your front door or backyard. 

Lighting is also great for making your house number visible and for making the doorway to your home inviting. “I’ve seen properties with spotlights thoughtfully placed throughout the landscape, creating a truly magical atmosphere at night,” Safdie says. 

But the trick to a good return on investment is to opt for affordable lighting upgrades. “While this lighting effect can be stunning, it's important to understand the long-term implications,” Safdie adds. 

In other words, skip the elaborate smart lighting systems and choose affordable LED bulbs and fixtures that do the job just as well. 

“While visually captivating, outdoor lighting systems like this are costly to install and can be very expensive to maintain, especially in regions that experience wide temperature fluctuations and harsh seasonal conditions,” he adds. “Repairs to exposed electrical systems require specialized labor and can add unexpected expenses for future homeowners.”