It’s a fact that people judge books by their cover, even if they say they don’t!

When it comes to property, the same rules apply, but the ‘cover’ is in fact the front of your house. In estate agent parlance, it’s called Kerb Appeal. Prettier properties attract more interest.

It’s been scientifically proven that in most cases, buyers make up their mind about a property before they have even crossed the threshold. Bearing that in mind, we wanted to help you prepare for those all-important marketing pictures that will draw in a potential buyer for your home, without maxing out your credit card.

First things first – Put yourself in your buyers shoes

Imagine you are looking to move to the area – approach your house in the direction that you think most buyers will, and what do you see? If the answer is an overgrown lawn, a crumbling wall, and plants growing out of the gutters, you may have a bit of work to do…

It will come as no surprise that buyers like to see well clipped lawns, well maintained paintwork, and well pointed brickwork – they don’t really want to be signing up for a multitude of repairs, so you need to try and do whatever you can to improve it. You might not be able to do everything, but do as much as you can. Talk to your agent about the priorities. Pointing brickwork can be expensive. Clearing gutters, attacking the garden, and painting woodwork could be something you could do yourself..

Here’s a few useful tips that will help your house look its best when buyers come to view…

1) Hide those wheelie bins – they are ugly and do nothing to improve appearance. (If it’ s not too cheeky, you might kindly offer to put your neighbours away too)
2) Clean your doors & windows.
3) Paint the door a contemporary colour if it suits the house. Paint the gate and creosote the fence too if you have them.
4) Clip the hedge and cut back and trees that have become unruly and are blocking light.
5) If needed, paint your windows – Did you know that uPVC windows can also be painted with specialist pants and they can give a house a whole new look?
6) Make sure the aerial isn’t loose and there isn’t a well-established tree growing out of the guttering or the chimney stack.
7) Jet Wash the drive
8) Add a few flowering pots or hanging baskets – you can always take them with you.

Making your property stand out from the crowd will help you get viewers over the threshold and put you in the best position to achieve the asking price or above. The person that buys your house could well be the first person to view it, so make sure you’re home is looking as crisp as you possibly can before the board goes up. 

If you’d like our opinion, just shout!