If you've been looking into selling your home, you've probably heard the phrase 'kerb appeal' being mentioned. A huge amount of homeowners don't realise just how important kerb appeal is, but your potential buyer can lose interest in moving forward with your house before they even step through the door if they see something that they don't like. We Buy Any House have looked at the common problems that put potential buyers off and what you can do to avoid and resolve those issues!
1. Look at your front door
Your front door should welcome in your potential buyers, but it can have them wanting to leave straight away if it's not in good condition. The door to your home is so important, and there are a couple of things that you can do to make it stand right out and increase the interest of your potential buyers. If your front door is old, a bit worn or quite scuffed, you might look at replacing it.
A lot of homeowners don't want to do this for a house that they're going to move out of, so there is a great alternative if this is you - repainting the door to brighten it up. By changing the colour of your door, you can make it look brand new, and you can even choose from a large variety of colours that will make it really stand out and attract more attention. Grey, royal blue, lilac, mustard yellow, and sage green shades are all very popular choices and will instantly refresh the front of your home.
When you do this, you will want to keep in mind the style of your home, along with the neighbourhood houses. A very modern, colourful door on an old Victorian house will look a bit out of place, so make sure that you think of the bigger picture when you're picking your door colour.
2. Move the dustbins
Some homeowners will have a specific space at the back of the home to store their bins that keep them out of the way, but a lot of homeowners have to have their bins out the front, especially in terraced homes. Doing this can result in the bins be unsightly and, especially in the hotter months, end up smelling. This can put potential buyers off right away, especially if they have to walk past these bins when they're coming in and out to view.
To fix this, homeowners should clean the bins after they've been emptied - or if you don't want to do this yourself, there are lots of services that will be able to do this for you instead. Clean bins will drastically reduce the smell, making the bins less noticeable and lowering the chance of bothering any viewers. You can also try moving the bins further away from your front door, so they line up against a hedge if you've got one, which will make the front area of your property look larger and have them out of direct eyesight. It may seem like a pretty small detail, but potential buyers are incredibly fickle and can be put off by the littlest details, so it's worth doing to avoid and problems.
3. Maintain any greenery
This detail can get overlooked by a lot of homeowners, so trimming your hedges or grassy areas at the front of your home is really important. Your potential viewers can see uncared-for greenery outside and then assume that the inside is uncared for too. In the summer, try and cut your grass at least once every two weeks or so, and if you have paved areas, don't forget to weed around them.
SEE ALSO: Lawn Mowing Tips >
You can find all sorts of weed killer sprays in garden centres and supermarkets, but a lot of the time, the best solution is to pull the weeds up by hand. When you spray the weeds, they'll wither away and die, which often looks more untidy than they did until they've completely died and rot away.
4. Add some colours
If you've tried all of the above, but you're still thinking that the front of your property is missing that wow factor, you can add some extra bits and bobs to make the place even more appealing. Some hanging baskets around the front door are a very popular option, with pretty blooming flowers that will catch the eyes of anyone entering the property. Plant pots are just as effective or training some climbing plants like honeysuckle or ivy look wonderful.
These are an especially good option for quaint cottages but will give most properties a lovely welcoming air, providing you maintain it properly and don't let it get out of control. Plants and flowers will also instil in your viewers that you put plenty of time and care into the place, encouraging them that the inside is also in a looked after, well-maintained condition.
Improving kerb appeal is a really important part when it comes to selling your house, not only for when any viewers come but for anyone else going past that might be interested. Often, anyone that wants to view your house will drive past it before they arrange a viewing to get a firmer idea of the surroundings and to see the state of the outside.
By making sure your home looks the best that it possibly can outside, will encourage more potential buyers in and increase the chances of you achieving your sale. Over two-thirds of viewers say that they were put off a property because of the exterior, which shows just how important kerb appeal is when you're selling your house.
Photo from Pixabay
