The exterior of your home can have a significant impact on its perceived value and salability. Whether you are shopping for a home, selling a home, or simply want to improve the home you live in and increase its value consider the exterior carefully.

Siding can drastically improve the appearance of a home, if it's high quality and properly installed. There are many varieties of siding available today and it's important that you understand they are not 'one size fits all.'

You can make or break the exterior appearance of your home with siding. Buy siding that matches the overall look and feel of your home. Accentuate the positive attributes of the home with siding-don't cover them up.

Be careful with colors. Look around the neighborhood. Observe the surrounding environment. Choose a color that will blend in nicely with its surroundings, yet help your house stand out among the other homes in the area.

This is not the time to skimp on expense. Choose a durable material that will stand up to the most extreme weather elements in your area including heat, wind, sun, ice, hail and snow. While you may save some money at the beginning of the project by buying lower quality siding, you may find you spend significantly more than you save in upkeep and repairs.

When you hire a contractor, do your homework. Again, the lowest bid is not always the best bid and siding a home is labor intensive.

When choosing a material to use, consider:

1. the age of your home

2. the style of your home (is it an upscale flat in a high-priced neighborhood, a historic home, a rental, a rambler?

3. you budget

4. the amount of time you expect the siding to last

Following are some materials available for siding the exterior of a home:

• Vinyl Siding
• Vinyl Coatings
• Stucco Siding
• Stone Veneer Siding
• Cement Fiber Siding
• Wood Clapboard Siding
• Brick and Brick Veneer Siding
• Cedar Shingle Siding
• Engineered Wood Siding
• Seamless Steel
• Aluminum

Take this list of available materials to your contractor or home improvement store and ask to see samples of each. A siding contractor will be able to help you explore the drawbacks and benefits to each based on materials and the method of application.