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It’s impossible not to judge a house by its exterior. Jerry Grodesky ought to know. He’s a 24-year veteran in the residential real estate industry as well as a photographer, so he’s got the know-how and the eye when it comes to a home’s outward appearance.

“Many buyers like to drive by a property to help them decide which to choose. Having a pleasant street-side appearance can make or break showings and can probably alter the home’s sale price by 10 percentage points or more,” says Grodesky, managing broker at Farm and Lake Houses Real Estate in Loda, IL.

To help home sellers and sellers’ agents focus on a home’s “pleasant street-side appearance,” here are five curb appeal recommendations for 2016.

Photo: Flickr

1. Update the Front Door.

A fresh coat of paint can spruce up a ho-hum front door and help make a better first impression when someone is looking at your home. Veronica Solomon, owner and lead designer at Casa Vilora Interiors in Katy, TX, recommends a bold color like red. If you replace the front door altogether, beware that it’ll cost more -- hundreds of dollars more -- than a gallon of paint.

2. Upgrade the Garage Door.

Sarah Schram, brand manager at garage door retailer Wayne Dalton, based in Lewisville, TX, says one of the simplest ways to boost the curb appeal of a home is to upgrade the garage door. Garage doors can represent up to 40 percent of a home’s curb appeal, says Mischel Schonberg, a spokeswoman for Mason, OH-based garage door manufacturer Clopay. Keep in mind that a new garage door easily can cost upwards of $1,500.

3. Lighten up the Exterior.

Outdoor lighting can lend a touch of elegance to the exterior of a home. In addition, it can improve home safety. A 2012 survey by the National Association of Home Builders found that 90 percent of homebuyers graded exterior lighting as an “essential” or “desirable” feature.

4. Spruce Up the Landscaping.

Be sure the front-yard landscaping is in tip-top shape. Focus on fertilizing, flowers, shrubs and plants, while being sure the grass remains trimmed and any weeds are pulled.

A study by Alex X. Niemiera, a horticulture professor at Virginia Tech, confirms that a well-landscaped home generates more value than a home without good landscaping. The advantage runs between 5.5 percent and 12.7 percent, meaning an added $8,250 to $19,050 for a home valued at $150,000.

5. Place Furniture on the Porch.

Putting a bistro table or a couple of chairs on your porch can cost roughly $800 to $1,200, according to Styleathome.com, but can produce return on investment of 40 percent to 60 percent.

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Ski report: Local ski areas see record crowds during December holiday break, and snow coverage remains robust

Originally published January 7, 2016 at 11:11 am Updated January 7, 2016 at 5:10 pm

Skiers cruise downhill as other skiers and snowboarders ride the Chinook Express uphill into the sunlight and powder at Crystal Mountain. (Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times)

The good times are carrying over into the New Year for skiers and snowboarders, and many ski resorts reported a record turnout during the Christmas holiday break.

“We had a great holiday period once we got the power back on and the roads cleared, and actually had record crowds,” said Guy Lawrence, the marketing director at the Summit at Snoqualmie.

“I think half the population of Seattle came up,” Lawrence said. “It was a good scenario and a very strong start to the season both for the conditions and a business point of view. We have plenty of snow for January and February, and maybe well into March.”

Make plans to visit Summit East and take a ride up the new Rampart quad lift providing access to unique trails and gladed tree areas, and a crossover trail between Summit East and Central.

“The new crossover trail is proving to be a great link between the two areas, and has an improved family friendly zone around Silver Fir and Summit East,” Lawrence said.

A new run will be dedicated 10:30 a.m. on Saturday at Summit East called Sarrah’s Run. The run is named after Sarrah A. Powers who tragically died in a car accident last March near Snoqualmie Pass.

Elsewhere places like Crystal Mountain Resort actually received a foot of snow in the past week bringing the season snowfall total to 244 inches. There are still good pockets of powder and smooth groomed corduroy conditions along the main trails.

Stevens Pass Resort is boasting a season snowfall of 198 inches with excellent conditions from the top of Seventh Heaven clear down to the base area. At White Pass there is 7 inches of untouched powder in the basin, but skiers and riders should stay away from deep tree wells. Their season snowfall total ranges from 179 to 203 inches.

A strong start to the winter season makes Heartstopper and Sideburn great choices for downhill backcountry skiers and boarders or snowshoe treks at Scottish Lakes High Camp south of Lake Wenatchee State Park in the north-central Cascades.

Cross-country gliders can find prime trail conditions at Summit at Snoqualmie; White Pass; Stevens Pass; Cabin Creek and Erling Stordahl trail system located 10 miles east of Snoqualmie Summit at Exit 63 off I-90; and east from Leavenworth to the Methow Trails.

At Lake Wenatchee State Park, look for fair to good soft snow along trails at Nason Ridge, South Park, Kahler Glen and North Park with Chiwawa seeing the best conditions in years. There is some debris on trails from trees shedding snow. A Sno-Park permit is required, with self-pay stations located at each parking area. The area also has snowshoe trails and a sled hill.

Other great cross-country-skiing bets are the Cabin Creek area in the Snoqualmie Corridor, Leavenworth (which has 26K groomed trails) and 49 Degrees North (which has 25K of trails open).

Mount Rainier National Park is open for winter activities, and the snow-play sliding hill at Paradise is open on weekends and holidays. Ranger-guided 1.8-mile snowshoe walks are available Saturdays, Sundays and holidays through March 27 at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. outside of the Jackson Visitor Center. Sign-ups begin one hour before each scheduled time. Be sure to check the website for road conditions and restrictions before heading up. Through Wednesday, Paradise was covered with 101 inches of snow. For updates, go tohttp://www.nps.gov/mora/index.htm.

The snowy weather pattern last month has come to an end for the moment although a weak low-pressure system brought a little dusting of snow to the Cascades in the past few days. The snowpack remains robust, and while this month might not see any heavy snowfall it won’t end up being one to worry about either.

Snowshoers tour the forest at Snoqualmie Pass on a ranger-led hike in 2011. (Ellen M. (Ellen M. Banner/The Seattle Times) — Snowshoers tour the forest at Snoqualmie Pass on a ranger-led hike in 2011. (Ellen M. Banner/The Seattle Times)

High pressure will move back in bringing partly cloudy to mostly clear skies Friday through Sunday. The freezing level will jump around from 1,500 feet to as high as 6,500 feet.

In Oregon, Mount Bachelor (86-115 inch base), Timberline (86), Mount Ashland (59-91), Hoodoo (56), Mount Hood Meadows (79-108), Mount Hood Ski Bowl (56-58) and Anthony Lakes (45).

In Idaho, areas open daily include Sun Valley (57-80), Brundage (52-77), Tamarack (46-61), Pomerelle (70-87), Schweitzer (39-67), Lookout Pass (47-74), Soldier Mountain (50-65), Bogus Basin (44-50) and Silver Mountain (27-50).

In Montana, Whitefish Mountain Resort is open daily, and has a 57-inch base, and 139 inches so far this season. A total of 105 trails and 10 lifts were operating.

To the north in British Columbia, areas open daily include Whistler-Blackcomb (66), Cypress (126), Mount Washington (58-77), Whitewater (75-76), Manning Park (50-63), Big White (83), Revelstoke (28-64), Fernie (33-68), Mount Seymour (69-116), Red Mountain (67), Grouse Mountain (85-128), Kicking Horse (29-49), Apex (63), Silver Star (51-62), Sun Peaks (53-58), Panorama (22-38) and Kimberley (48).

Latest snow and lift reports:

Which ski areas are open and closed:


Resort		Hours	Base

	Summit West, Snoqualmie	Open: Fri, and Wed-Thu: 4pm-10pm; Sat: 9am-10pm; Sun: 9am-5pm; closed Mon-Tue	75 inches

	Summit Central, Snoqualmie	Open: Fri-Sat and Mon-Thu: 9am-10pm; Sun: 9am-5pm	75 inches

	Summit East, Snoqualmie	Open: Sat-Sun: 9am-4pm; closed Sun-Jan. 15	75 inches

	Nordic Center, Snoqualmie	Open: Fri-Sun: 9am-3pm; closed Mon-Thu. Tubing center open Fri-Sat: 9am-9pm; Sun: 9am-5pm	75 inches

	Alpental, Snoqualmie	Open: Fri-Sat and Tue-Thu: 9am-10pm; Sun: 9am-5pm; closed Mon	85-120 inches

	Mount Baker Ski Area	Open daily: 9am-3:30pm	103-135 inches

	Crystal Mountain	Open daily: 9am-4pm	59-90 inches

	Stevens Pass	Open: Fri-Sat and Wed-Thu: 9am-10pm; Sun: 9am-6pm; Mon-Tue: 9am-4pm	54-74 inches

	White Pass	Open daily: 8:45am-4pm; night skiing Thu-Sat until 9pm. Nordic center is also open	60-82 inches

	Mission Ridge Ski & Board	Open: Fri-Mon and Thu: 9am-4pm; closed Tue-Wed; night skiing Sat until 8pm	53-60 inches

	49° North Mountain	Open: Fri-Tue: 9am-3:30pm	53-91 inches

	Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard	Open: Fri-Sat and Wed: 9am-9:30pm; Sun: 9am-4pm; closed Mon-Tue	46-68 inches

	Ski Bluewood	Open daily: 9am-4pm	53-65 inches

	Whistler-Blackcomb	Open daily: 8:30am-3pm	66 inches

	Mt. Bachelor	Open daily: 9am-4pm	86-115 inches

	Leavenworth Winter Sports Club	Open: Icicle River, Leavenworth Golf Course and Ski Hill nordic trails. Ski Hill open Sat-Sun: 9:30am-5pm; Wed and Fri: 3pm-8pm	37 inches

	Methow Trails	Open daily: 21 trails groomed Jan. 6-7 at Mazama; 19 at Rendezvous; 21 at Sun Mountain; and 13 at Winthrop Snoqualmie Pass Real Estate, Snoqualmie Pass Properties, Snoqualmie Pass Homes, Snoqualmie Pass Lots, North Bend Real Estate, Snoqualmie Real Estate, Carnation Real Estate, Suncadia Real Estate, Easton Real Estate, ThomasWolter.com, http://www.snoqualmiepassliving.com