How to improve a home’s curb appeal
Updated: Jan 9, 2022
First impressions count for most things in life be it when dating or choosing your next family car upgrade. Something will have caught your eye, most likely from the outside, and it will have made an impression on you.
House hunting has the very same logics, you are initially impressed visually and 99% of the time it will be from the outside be it from the leading photo of a listing on a website or noting a for sale sign outside a property when house hunting by car.
"For those of us old enough to remember going to the library to choose a book, how influenced we were back then by the cover of a book when selecting our next handful of books to keep us company. From packaging of food to a designer watch, we select, and especially by impulse, from the outside in."
When your property is on the market and if the region / area you are set in has attracted interest so far, then the next check point for potential buyers is the property itself and what it looks like outside. Now, not all property will of course be that dream masterpiece canvas, most property are quite ordinary with the average 3 bedroom semi being one of the most common style (unless we are window shopping) that we will be looking at. For those luxury villas and mansions, well most cases we will have our garden and interior designers to help us increase the value when it comes to selling, what we wish to take a look at here is what we can achieve with the outside of more average looking property.
Even if your property is standard in appearance outside we can nonetheless increase it's curb appeal with just a few top tips. We might be missing those amazing sea views, or wonderfully landscaped front gardens, we have foregone the private road and security and we have no tree lined entrance, but what we can do is some curb appeal work:
Clean and tidy up: Take a step back from your property and view it from the other side of the road. Are the windows clean outside? Weeds in the garden / bushes and trees need a trim? Rubbish bins over flowing? Any unnecessary items clogging up the front garden to include an old car / caravan that is taking away curb appeal? If you have a garage for your car then try and use it for the duration that you are looking to sell so to increase the outside space.
Repair / Maintenance: Can you see any eye sores such as missing tiles, broken windows, flaky paint work, loose bricks in garden walls? One of the best investments you can make is in your front door by way of new coat of paint, new numbering etc.
Flowers / Plants: Add some colour by way of flower baskets, plant pots and if you have flower beds then make sure they are full of colour. Cut the grass (you know how good the garden looks when freshly cut) and clean any pathways / patio areas of both weeds and dirt (pressure wash if you can or a good brush / scrub).
Lighting: Many people will drive past your property at night wanting to know what the mood and atmosphere is like or what the parking situation on the road is during after work hours. Is it noisy with kids, flooded with cars parked on the curb, noisy music and more... Make sure you home looks good at night by installing some lighting with options such as easy to install solar lights that can easily light up the façade.
Inside too: Though people may be viewing from the outside, do not forget that they can also see in so the likes of curtains, nice lighting, window ornaments will help to build a warm atmosphere inside. If you have a porch and one which is easily visible then make sure you declutter.
Neighbours: This is a very difficult topic and one to approach with caution. Friendly neighbours only is suggested. You can ask for at least immediate neighbours to work with you to tidy up any overgrown greenery or remove any ugly outside eyesores such as vehicles (old bangers) or hoarding (offer to pay for a skip to clean the outside area).
Title image: Pixabay