What is Curb Appeal?


In a word: curb appeal is all about facade. Curb appeal refers to how attractive your house looks to those who drive by.


Why is Curb Appeal Important?


An attractive exterior may make the difference between whether people become potential buyers or whether they drive right by without looking at your home’s appealing interior features. Curb appeal is like eye catching wrapping paper on a gift. First impressions are crucial to the real estate market. Nearly 65% of shoppers will come and check out a home they’ve driven by or looked at online if they liked what they saw.


Ways to Add Curb Appeal that won’t Break the Bank


Here are some sure fire ways to attract home buyers.

1. Paint your front door. Use a vibrant, cheerful, eye-catching color. Favorites are red, burgundy, cobalt blue and green.
2. Scrub and paint your door’s hardware.
3. Add baskets of flowers at several levels at the front door. Consider adding hanging baskets.
4. Buy an attractive welcome mat.
5. Update those tired, faded house numbers.
6. Paint the trim around your front door. Add matching molding.
7. Add a stylish door knocker.
8. Upgrade those porch light fixtures.
9. Add tile or stone to the entry or use faux tile with a concrete staining or stamping kit.
10. Edge your house with flower beds. A little color goes a long way.
11. Give your garage door an easy inexpensive upgrade by painting the aluminum with wood stain. Or paint it to match the front door. Add some carriage lights or a pergola to enhance the garage’s appearance. Plant fast-growing ivy on the pergola.
12. Power wash siding to give it a clean look. Don’t forget to do the decks, front steps and the entrance way exterior.
13. Add a stair runner or paint your front steps.
14. Cover an exposed foundation with prefab panels or imitation brick panels.
15. Paint those unsightly electrical boxes to blend into the house exterior.
16. Enclose your HVAC system so it looks attractive.
17. Put a rocker or two on the front porch to give the place an inviting look.
18. Repair torn screens and broken windows.
19. Clean those windows until they sparkle.
20. Add faux shutters to the windows.
21. Clean out the eaves troughs and paint them.
22. Add some window boxes and fill them with bright, hardy annuals.
23. Clean up debris, storing bicycles, kids’ toys, gardening equipment, and other personal items in the garage or storage shed.
24. Hang up hoses.
25. If you have a mailbox out front, give it a makeover.

​With a few inexpensive touches and some elbow grease, you can increase your home’s curb appeal.       

You are a new resident to South Bay. You will soon find there is plenty to see and do. Here are some suggestions.


Restaurants abound in the area. Specialty items and prices vary widely. The fact that South Bay has a heavy concentration of Japanese-Americans makes it a great place to enjoy Japanese cuisine but don’t forget the many Korean, Indian, and Latino South Bay restaurants. Be sure to try out:


Abigale located in a former church, its diverse menu includes memorable smoked pork confit pop tarts. Pair these with house-brewed ales.


Addi’s Tandoor located at Redondo Beach is known for its Indian dishes like eggplant baiganbharta and seafood.


If you are looking for good Korean foods check out Cho Dang Tofu in the Torrance strip mall. Be sure to try the tofu soup or banchan featuring cucumber kimchi and bean sprouts.


Dia de Campo is a great Hermosa Beach Mexican restaurant whose feature dishes include: crab-topped guacamole, short rib empanadas, Mexican street corn, and carnitas tacos.


If you crave seafood with a creative flair, look no farther than Fishing with Dynamite at Manhattan Beach. Be sure to try the Peruvian scallops and the Koshihikari rice. Get there early as this restaurant holds only thirty-five.


If you are looking for good music, the area has plenty to offer. Whether you’re there to listen or you want to jam, check out the Southbay Acoustic Musicians of Redondo Beach. They welcome singers as well as those who play brass, woodwinds, bongos, or drums.


Consider taking an art class. Good ones are offered for budding artists of all ages at Hermosa Beach Community Center. If you are not an artist check out the facility to see what others are creating.


If you want to get out and meet people and get some exercise, South Bay offers miles of ocean-view trails and paths. Bike, roller blade, or just stroll along the beach collecting sea shells.


You might also take a surfing lesson from one of the area pros.


If you are a camera buff, beach walks offer great views of South Bay marine life. Catch a glimpse of the dolphins or even great sunsets.


Go for a stroll along the strand and admire the architecture of such renowned designers as Richard Neutra, Ray Kappe, Dean Nota, Patrick Killen, Grant Fitzpatrick, Louie Tomaro, Larry Peha, and Michael Lee.


Beach volleyball is king in the South Bay area. Go and watch tournaments or join in a pickup game.

There are several seasonal and year-round activities in the South Bay area. Many of them can be enjoyed for under $20. Here are just a few:


The strand from South Hermosa to North Manhattan offers wonderful waterfront and beach activities for all ages. Try your hand at kite flying. Walk the beaches and collect shells. Rent a windsurfer or a try paddle boarding. You might like to rent a bike and get some exercise on the well-defined ocean-side paths. You can also bring your camera and look for water life like the playful dolphins. If you are a fishing enthusiast opportunities abound in this area.


If you’ve always wanted to try surfing then South Bay offers great twenty-foot waves in the winter and comfortable temperatures between sixty-five and seventy. Not quite so adventurous? Then you might want to rent a boat or take surfing lessons. The local surf shops will be happy to help.


Whether you have money to spend or just enjoy window-shopping, spend some retail therapy time in Hermosa Beach. It’s a 1.3-mile area full of surf shops, jewelry stores, clothing store full of the latest California fashions for all ages.


If you’ve never tried lawn bowling then South Bay is a good place to try it. Experienced visitors and first timers are always welcome at the Hermosa Beach Lawn Bowling Club at Clark Stadium.


If biking and surfing are not your “cup of tea”, how about beach volleyball? Even if you want to watch rather than play then head on out to Manhattan Beach for the Six-Man competition at the end of July or the Manhattan Beach Open at the end of August. After you watch a few games, you will be tempted to try playing the sport that got its start here!
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If you’re excited to learn more about the area’s sea life, then head out to the end of the Manhattan Beach pier to the Round House Aquarium. You’ll find sharks, halibut, sea bass, eels, and other local sea life. They are encased in the floor-to-ceiling aquarium. The kids will get a thrill out of being able to actually touch sea creatures like: sea stars, sea anemones, and crabs. The aquarium is free and you can easily spend a half day there!

Like everything else, your patio requires maintenance and renovation. Here are some tips for sprucing up that patio.


For a new look, try etching on the surface of your patio. The first step is to give the patio floor a thorough scouring. Patch any cracks or holes. Next, mark the pattern on the concrete with a marker or chalk. Follow the markings with a circular saw. Paint etched design with latex or oil-based paint to make it stand out.


Give your deck a new personality by applying paint, dye, or stain to the existing wood, stone, or concrete surface.


Get a facelift for your deck by using it as a substrate to support tiles, bricks, slate, or other masonry. Seal edges. Apply a sealing coat and presto, a new floor.


Turn your patio into an intimate, cozy alcove by adding curtains. These made of sturdy denim or canvas will offer shade and a windbreak.


Build a structure over your patio and plant climbing vines to fill out this structure. This provides an aesthetically pleasing and sheltered space.


Consider adding a daybed or wicker chairs or a hammock to your patio.


Add interest to your patio furniture by making cushions or hand painting plain purchased cushions.


Shop for unusual chairs at garage sales or flea markets and paint them vibrant colors.


Create planters from found objects and plant easy-to-maintain plants on your patio.


Create interesting throw rugs or buy them at a store.


Find patio furniture at summer close out sales for next year. Look for sets with sufficient seating and table space to host a crowd.


Enjoy the patio at night by string decorative lights around it.


Plant perennials around the patio for decoration and to deter pests.


Repurpose white boards and/or chalkboards so kids can display their art work and you can use it as a message board.


Add a fence for interest, privacy and/or a windbreak. There are lots of options.


Add a shed or repurpose existing garden structures as part of your patio. These might be used for storage, an office space, a games center, or a haven from the noise of the rest of the house.
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Your patio can be a relaxing haven where you chill out after a long hard day at work. It can be a sheltered alcove where you enjoy a good book in solitude. Or it can be a place where you entertain in nice weather.

Spring is a time of new beginnings. It just naturally brings out a desire to clean away the grunge of winter and tidy up around the house.
Here are some spring maintenance tips:
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• Clean out the eaves, troughs, or gutters of fall/winter debris. Make sure none of them are loose or leaking. Be sure downspouts are draining away from your house. You do not want water in your basement or crawl space. It can damage the foundation.
• Fill in low areas around your foundation. Indentations can cause water to pool. When this occurs it can back up into your foundation. These pools are also a breeding ground for pests like mosquitoes.
• Check the wood trim around windows, doors, railings and decks with a probe or screwdriver. Repair before exposed wood suffers more damage.
• Check the roof shingles for loose shingles, lost shingles, or damaged shingles. If shingles are cracked, buckled, loose, or the grit granules are getting thin, your roof may need to be replaced.
• Check the flashing around vents, skylights and chimneys for needed repair. Hire a qualified roofer to do this.
• Have your chimneys cleaned. Inspect chimneys for any outer or inner damage and get it repaired.
• Check out sidewalk, walkway slabs, and poolside curbing. Replace pieces that are cracked or tipped.
• Check outside faucets for winter damage. Replace cracked or malfunctioning faucets.
• Check and clean your HVAC system. Have a qualified HVAC service representative clean the system and replace filters.
• Check and clean lawn equipment so it is ready to run.
• Replace batteries in smoke and CO detectors.
• Clean the dryer vent.The lint trap does not catch all the lint. Some get into the dryer vent. If the vent is plugged vent it wastes money, and could cause a house fire.
• Check the hoses on your washer to make sure none got cracked or loose during the winter.
• Clean screens with soapy water. Repair any damaged screens.
• Power wash decks, driveways, fences and your house’s exterior to remove winter grunge.
• Vacuum refrigerator coils. They work more efficiently if they are dust free.
• Drain the water heater. Sediment builds up making it less efficient. When it is working well it cuts your energy costs.
• Spring is an excellent time to clear your house, garden, and garage of clutter that has built up during the winter. Sort in three boxes: Keep; Donate or Recycle; Trash.

These spring-cleaning jobs will get your home ready for the warm weather.