Dress To Impress: How Your Home Or Business Can Look Better -- Quickly And Inexpensively!

They say you can't tell a book by its cover, but the truth is, everybody does. You notice a book, pick up a book, even buy it because of the way the cover looks. You could say the same thing about the building you work and/or live in. The way your home or business looks can have a huge impact on the way others see you. If your business is in an attractive building, customers will think of you as successful. That could in turn mean you are a top expert, you provide great service, and you have been in business a long time. A whole host of positive assumptions could hinge on how your building looks. As a result, you could get sales a lot easier, count more return customers, even be the business the newspaper and TV stations contact when they need an expert in your industry. And I don't have to tell you how great a nice looking home can be. An eye-catching, professional design can impress your friends, raise the value of your home and neighborhood, and make you feel better just being there. Here are some top inexpensive ways you can quickly improve the appearance of your home or business: * Paint. A couple of coats of new paint can make a home or business look 10,000 percent better. Ask the people at your local paint store for ideas on colors and types of paint. You can get some great ideas through a short conversation about what has been working for others. And new paint can greatly improve morale in your business. Wendy's founder Dave Thomas made painting his first priority when taking over a restaurant. * Landscape. Professional looking landscaping can make a remarkable difference in the appearance of your building. Expensive colleges often put a great deal of time and budget into making sure their grounds look exceptional. Why? Because studies show that's what parents (who pay their kid's tuition) most notice when they visit. The same is true for just about any home or business. * Trim. This is one very important area the average person tends to miss. Pick just about any period of architecture or design and you'll find trim is a major component. Today -- in the rush to get buildings up at an affordable cost -- quality, attractive trim is frequently left out of the mix. Not to worry, there are many types of trim, one surely being perfect for your building. Many can be applied easily by non professionals. If you live in an area like I do, where stucco is popular, make sure you use a trim that is designed for that type of construction.