Whether selling a home in today's tough real estate market or simply trying to beautify and protect your home, curb appeal should be very important to you. Home selling experts predict that as many as 40 percent of potential buyers reject a home based on their first impression of the front of the home. That makes curb appeal -- the general appearance of the front yard -- the single largest factor shaping impressions of your home.

After lawns, driveways often make up the largest area of the front yard, and can really affect opinions of your home. "Driveways and sidewalks are the entryways to the home. If they're in great shape, you've got a strong first impression. If not -- you've said a lot about the quality of the home," says Gordon Blickle of Gardner-Gibson, a manufacturer of driveway, brick and patio sealers.

Unfortunately, driveways are often overlooked, spoiling an otherwise manicured landscape. Unless the drive is severely cracked, crumbling or poses a safety hazard, there's no need to spend thousands on removing and replacing it. Making over your driveway is an easy way to make your home more attractive.

Drive to Impress

Create a great first impression and prevent expensive repairs by resealing your driveway. Renew the look of an old, worn blacktop driveway and fill in small cracks with fast-drying Black Jack Ultra-Maxx 1000, a flexible, long-lasting filler and sealer with a 10-year guarantee.

Light the Night

Installing low-voltage or solar landscape lighting can create a softly lit path to border the driveway. In addition to creating a pretty landscaping effect, the lighting can improve visibility and decrease the chances someone will accidentally drive onto the lawn.

Clean Up That Sidewalk

Frequently dirt, mold and algae settle on sidewalks due to their location, and that can create a really dismal first impression. Clean the walk with Driveway Kleen, a garden-safe spray solution that attaches to a garden hose. Krystal Brillance can then be applied to the pavement and edgers to protect from stains.

Stop and Smell the Roses

Instead of having to keep the edge of the lawn trimmed against the driveway, create a "buffer" strip with a decorative rock garden or plant flowers along the path to create an inviting drive up to the home. If the driveway is shared with a neighbor, plant shrubs and flowers between them to create a small privacy wall.

Get an Edge

Edge the driveway with pavers in colors complementary to the home and pavement. Use pavers in different shapes and sizes to create an interesting focal point and frame the driveway.

"Consider your front yard the 'arms' that welcome visitors into a home," says Blickle. If your property is not welcoming, buyers may not even go through the front door."

Copyright (c) 2008 Able Skills