3 top tips to increase the kerb appeal of your house
This is a collaborative feature.
You know about kerb appeal, right? How attractive your home is the second a potential buyer sees it from outside, before they have even got out of the car. Some studies suggest that a property increasing a property’s kerb appeal can increase the asking price by up to 25%. Poor kerb appeal, ie your house not looking well looked after, can stop a potential buyer ever setting foot inside. Or picking up the phone to the estate agent to book a viewing if they have seen it online.
So how do you increase kerb appeal? Well here are my 3 top tips.
The house
Take a really critical look at the house. It is easy for us to become blind to the flaws our own house has, to not see what needs doing. Imagine you are a prospective buyer, see what they will see.
If you think the brickwork is looking tired, then a really cost effective way of sprucing it up is to get professionals in to pebble dash it for you. It really isn’t as expensive as it might sound and it will done in a couple of days (weather permitting).
Whilst this is a low maintenance solution in the long term it is not something you should consider doing yourself! Using a site like Rated People will allow you to find a local expert, to get quotes and to ask if they provide any warranties etc.
This might sound counter-intuitive, spending a couple of thousand Pounds just as you come to sell the property but if you watch any of the home renovation programmes you will know that they always recommend spending round 1% of the asking price in doing the property up prior to selling it.
Not only will pebble dashing make your house look refreshed and amazing, but it will make it stand out against any others for sale locally and give you an added advantage.
Clean the windows, and the sills. Clear gutters, downpipes and drains.
The garden
It goes out with saying that if you have a garden, maximise it. Make sure all the edges are trimmed, hedges pruned, leaves swept and the grass as neat as it can be. It is amazing how much better a garden looks just by cutting the grass!
More and more of us are seeing the benefit of spending time outside in our gardens so if don’t already have one add a small table and chairs to a shady area to show that it would be a perfect spot for an early morning cuppa with a newspaper, or a late afternoon G&T as the sun sets.
If your bins are out at the front of your property, maybe see if you can move them to the back so they are not the first thing a potential buyer sees too.
And if you have money in the budget and live in an area where parking is at a premium, consider paving the front garden (providing there is a drop kerb already).
The interior
It really isn’t worth redecorating the inside of a house, but if you are thinking about kerb appeal there are still things you can do from the inside to make it look more attractive from the outside. Making sure curtains are pulled back neatly, items removed from window sills (unless it is a vase of flowers or single ornament maybe) will always work. And if people can see further into the rooms ensuring they are tidy. Buyers often do a “drive by” prior to the viewing so it is no good tidying up on the day if the house has been a mess in the days leading up to the viewing!
Thanks to Shutterstock for the image