Making the decision to sell your home often takes time to weigh up the pros and cons. However, making time for some easy changes to your property can massively increase your kerb appeal and chances of selling your home.
Simple home improvements can make all the difference when trying to improve kerb appeal before selling your home. From front doors and windows to gardens and lighting, find some of the easiest ways to add house kerb appeal.
What is kerb appeal?
Simply put, kerb appeal is how attractive your property seems from the view of the street. Things such as the condition of the brickwork, roof, garden, fences, windows, and the front door all contribute to a property’s kerb appeal.
Improving your property’s kerb appeal can increase the interest in your property, and also help you push a sale through more quickly. Some aspects of trying to add kerb appeal can be expensive – depending on the condition of the property – but many take just a little bit effort and no money.
8 ways to add kerb appeal
Increasing kerb appeal doesn’t have to be an expensive or difficult task. There are many kerb appeal ideas that don’t cost you a penny and can have a great impact on your house selling prospects.
Increasing your kerb appeal doesn’t need some grand plan. Just put yourself in the shoes of a prospective buyer: what would discourage you from buying? List out these points and those we’ve provided and work to rectify them.
Discover some of the best ways to boost kerb appeal for your home:
1. Tidy up and store the bins
This might seem like an obvious or even insignificant change to the exterior of your home, but storing the bins and sweeping the leaves can help show your home off in its best light.
While we all have them, most people will agree that seeing someone’s waste and recycling bins next to the house you’re viewing can be a little off putting. No matter how wonderful your home, if the first thing prospective buyers see is your rubbish and clutter, then you’re starting on the back foot.
Taking the time to add in a storage solution for your wheelie bins and tidy up any clutter around the exterior of your home improves the first look of your property.
2. Think about your front door
You might not think it, but front door kerb appeal plays a hugely important role in how prospective buyers view your home, before even taking a look inside.
Your front door says a lot to prospective buyers about how well maintained the interior of your home is – rightly or wrongly. While you could have a beautiful house interior with a poorly maintained front door, this usually isn’t the case and buyers rarely perceive it this way.
Make your home stand out for all the right reasons by giving your front door a fresh lick of paint or polish to brighten and tidy it up.
Another great way to add a little bit extra to the entrance to your home is to add a new welcome mat. It’s a small touch that adds a warm welcome to prospective buyers.
3. Sprucing up boundary lines
Any person viewing a property with the intention of buying will want to know what the boundaries of the property are. Where does your garden start and the neighbour’s end?
Try to clearly mark the boundaries of your property, whether with a hedge, fence, or a row of plants. Also, make sure that this boundary looks as good as possible by cutting the hedge or painting the fence.
4. Maintain your gutters and roof
Unless they’re looking for a complete fixer-upper, buyers usually want to know that the home they buy won’t need much or any maintenance work. Additional maintenance work such as cleaning the gutters, replacing windows or fixing roof tiles all add extra costs to the property.
Buyers want to know that the listed price is all that they’d have to pay for the property, without having to reach into their pocket to complete maintenance work. Unkempt gutters and broken roof tiles should be taken care of before listing your property.
5. Clean your windows and think about what’s visible
Another simple one, but one that a lot of people neglect to do – cleaning your windows is a great way to boost kerb appeal.
Give your windows the once over to make them sparkly clean and take time to consider what is visible through the windows from the outside. From carefully stacked books to a vase of flowers, make sure it’s not piles of junk on your windowsill.
6. Spruce up your garden
An unruly garden that hasn’t been looked after doesn’t give a good impression to prospective buyers. If the owner can’t take the time to look after their garden, what’s to say they have the time to look after their home?
Keep the grass mowed and add in the odd few plants or flowers to entice prospective buyers to view your property. You don’t need to be an expert gardener; it’s more a case of keeping the garden tidy and presentable.
7. Light it up
Light up the entrance to your home to ensure winter viewings are possible and that prospective buyers would feel safe at night at your property.
Whether it’s a motion sensor light or switch-controlled outdoor lights, adding some brightness to the entrance of your home increases its appeal. It will help to make buyers feel comfortable with the prospect of returning to the property after a long shift at work in the dark, or after a night out. Working lights at your front door also show that the property is looked after.
8. Do up your driveway
Last on our list is to take time to repair and look after your driveway, making sure it appeals to buyers. If your driveway is in an especially poor condition, you might consider resurfacing it.
Having good off-road parking is a huge selling point, so making the most of this is essential for house kerb appeal. Kerb appeal driveways add a huge bonus to your property and separate it from the competition.
Sell your property with Stanfords
Now that you know how to add kerb appeal to your property, it’s time to put it on the market. Choose to sell your London home with Stanfords and benefit from experienced estate agents and unrivalled property marketing, working with you to get the best deal for your property.