10 Ways To Increase Kerb Appeal To Sell Your Property Quickly

Kerb appeal can make or break a house sale, it takes a potential buyer eight seconds to decide whether or not they like a house.

Imagine you drive up to a house with rubbish strewn across the footpath, the gate falling off and render pealing from the front of the house. You’d of made your mind up before you even step inside the property.

On the other end of the spectrum imagine pulling up to a house and there being a well-kept lawn with a white picket fence and the footpath lined with cherry blossoms, on this occasion you’d think I want to buy this property.

Kerb appeal is very important, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.

Some houses have natural kerb appeal and will attract potential buyers even if they are slightly run down from the outside. On the whole, every house has got kerb appeal even the ugliest of houses, it’s more than just a house looking good it’s about it being well kept.

Houses with real kerb appeal that make you feel warm inside really do make you happy, its a house with an immaculately painted front door, a well-presented garden, a gate which is immaculate or even a rose growing around the door.

Improving the kerb appeal of your property isn’t going to add any value to your property but it just might get your potential buyer in a good mood to purchase your house.

Improving the front of your house doesn’t have to be expensive, remember no DIY is better than bad DIY and badly painted front doors and dirty looking houses are definitely a NO NO.

1. Windows when they dirty make the house look unlived in, make sure you invest in a good window cleaner. Rotten wooden frames are definitely a No No, if you are going to invest in new ones make sure they are in line with the rest of the house. Finally, don’t forget to make sure all curtains and blinds match when seen from the driveway.
2. Make good the scruffy facade by re-pointing, repainting or rendering ugly brickwork. Don’t go crazy with colours on the outside, it’s not like your front door which you can be more outlandish. Make sure you are in keeping with the other properties on the street, this doesn’t mean you have to paint yours the same colour (unless you’re in a conservation area).
3. Well Light, either lighting placed either side of the door to make it symmetrical or a lantern over the entrance. If your property has a drive or a footpath leading up to your house light these up all the way to the entrance. Nobody like a dark entrance to a property, a bit of garden lighting is a must.
4. Numbering or naming a house can easily go wrong. Badly painted names or wonky numbers do no justice to a property. According to Scott from fast house sale company Home House Buyers “There’s a trend for oversized chrome numbers at the moment which is a no-no in my opinion. Go for a clean looking numbered slate or a nice well-presented plaque. Don’t be too garish”.
5. Paint your front door. This sounds stupid but its the first thing that a potential buyer is going to see before walking into your house. This is the one place you can go crazy with a colour, black is always a safe bet, but a nice dark purple or a deep blue brightens you house up no end.
6. Purchase some quality door furniture. Spend an extra few quid on a quality door knocker and handle make sure they are quality because cheap really does look cheap in this area of the house. Gp for a contemporary oversized chrome knocker and a chrome handle to match would look good on a deep blue front door.
7. The approach, this should be free of litter and swept of leaves. Cars should be neatly parked along with any bikes or bicycles. Jet wash any paths free of green and paint any railing or gates, keep porches free of clutter these can be dumping ground for shoes, coats, bikes etc.
8. Add some greenery. You don’t need a big area for some nice pots of flowers or a well kept outside space, a house looks beautiful with plants trailing up them. You can easily make a window box yourself, this just adds life to your property and who doesn’t love the smell of flowers.
9. Don’t let the house next door ruin your kerb appeal. If your neighbours are a scruffy lot that leaves litter lying around and don’t put their bins away or cut their front lawn or maintain their hedge. Bite your tongue and when your outside cutting your grass offer to do theirs, pick their litter up, hide their bin shape their hedge, its 10 minutes out of your day but can lead to that sale.
10. Impressive gate, this is a must have for any large country house, entrances should reflect the style of any property. Carved owls or eagles should only adorn a stately home not a new build brick property in Barnsley. A wrought iron electric gates are in keeping with a new build property and a white painted gate with simple stone pillars are in keeping with a large stone property