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As the old saying goes, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." When dealing with selling your home, this translates into creating a better "curb appeal" to draw in potential buyers. Many things can be done to improve "curb appeal", such as a fresh coat of paint, installing new siding, doing some simple yard care and landscaping, and adding "finishing touches" to the house. While the cost of such improvements can sometimes be prohibitive, when doing them smartly yourself you can literally improve the value of your home with little more than some elbow grease and a few hundred dollars.

Installing Exterior Vinyl Shutters

One of the best ways to get the most bang for your buck is by installing exterior vinyl shutters. Measuring for and installing exterior shutters can usually be done in a few hours depending on how many windows face the street and will give prospective buyers the "wow" effect you are hoping for.

There are 2 basic types of Exterior Vinyl Shutters:

1. Custom-made vinyl shutters

2. Prebuilt or stock shutters (often called standard-sized shutters)

Installing Exterior Vinyl Shutters - Stock Shutters

While custom shutters will certainly look the best, it can cost 150%-250% more to buy custom shutters than stock sizes. Another thing to consider is that custom made shutters can take 2 weeks or longer to be built, while stock shutters are prebuilt and ready to ship. This can be a major factor if you are in a hurry to sell your house and are on a budget. Of course, custom shutters can be made quicker and ship faster if you are willing to pay an additional shipping charge, so be sure to ask the vendor if this is an option.

A good balance between cost and good looks is to order standard shutters for windows that are within an inch of one of the available heights, and order custom shutters for the windows that need a more exact fit - especially the windows on the front of the house on each side of the front door.

Installing Exterior Vinyl Shutters - Color Choices

The color of the vinyl shutters is also an important factor, since painting can only be done if you order the paintable type of plastic. Black and white are the most popular colors and therefore they are usually shipped the soonest because they are typically stocked very well. Ordering the paintable type of plastic shutters is also a way to receive them quickly, but of course will require you to put in some more work to paint them before installing them.

If you have more time, it is possible to order a vinyl shutter color sample kit before ordering the shutters. This is a good way to get an exact match with your trim, or to get the right color of paint if you have also decided to paint the house for the sale. Color samples can be ordered for as little as $5 and most places give you the cost of the sample back when you order the vinyl shutters. This is also a good way to get some idea of what the exterior shutters will look like because the samples are moulded from the same vinyl material as the actual shutters.

Once the shutters arrive, installing them is just a matter of drilling a few holes and either screwing them to the outside surface of your home or using shutter-loks, which can be tapped in with a few strokes of a hammer. Of course, it is important to download the instructions from the web site that you buy them from as different shutter manufacturers recommend slightly different installation and doing the installation incorrectly can result in a voided warranty.

Good luck with your home makeover and sale!

About the Author: Shad Storhaug is the founder of ShutterContractor.com and is an expert in providing advice about selection, measuring, and installation of exterior window shutters. Additional measuring and installation instructions can be found at ShutterContractor.com's Exterior Shutters Store.

- Installing Exterior Vinyl Shutters  -

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