Americans who sell a house are told to improve its curb appeal. Merriam-Webster defines the phrase as “the visual attractiveness of a house as seen from the street.” It dates the first known use to 1975.
In a 2025 survey by the National Association of Realtors, 77 percent of sellers’ agents recommended improving curb appeal. Cleaning the entire home was recommended by 88 percent. Of buyers’ agents, 83 percent said that staging a home made it easier for a buyer to see it as their future home. The figures are agents’ answers, not sales records.