Kerb appeal is a very important factor when you sell your house, and one that homeowners will often forget about which can result in them losing their sale. To make it easier, We Buy Any House have looked into how you can improve your kerb appeal and what potential buyers look at when they first view your house – letting you make those changes and achieve your sale faster!
What is Kerb Appeal?
Kerb appeal refers to how your house looks from the outside, and whether it’s appealing or not. Having good kerb appeal will generate more interest in your house, and a lack of it is often the reason that homeowners struggle to sell their home. Over half of potential buyers will decide before they even enter a house if they’re still interested or not based on the outside, which could be the reason you haven’t sold yet.
What are the Best Ways to Increase My Kerb Appeal?
There are several ways that you can make the exterior of your house more appealing, including –
1. Refreshing Your Front Door
A scuffed or damaged front door will immediately put people off your home, so repairing and repainting it is a great way to make your house look more attractive. Some homeowners will decide to replace the door altogether, but if this isn’t in your budget or you just don’t want to do it, painting the door a different colour has a similar effect and will make your house more eye-catching. Some of the most popular colours for front doors this year are –
- Bright red
- Lilac
- Mustard yellow
- Matte grey
- Navy
When choosing your door colour, you should consider the rest of your house and your neighbours, too – you want your house to stand out, but for the right reasons, and not be an eyesore. Make sure that the colour you pick compliments the house and fits in with the surroundings.
2. Keep it Tidy
A messy front garden is the fastest way to put off potential buyers, so spend some time organizing the outside of your home to avoid this. Trim grass and any hedges, get rid of any items that doesn’t need to be there, and if there are any weeds or dead plants, remove these too. Make sure that if you live near trees and often get a lot of leaves that you sweep these away. Some choose to power-wash driveways to brighten them up, especially if there’s a big build-up of grim on them from bad weather.
3. Clean the Windows
Cleaning windows benefits you in two ways – it makes your home look better from the outside, as well as letting in more natural light inside to brighten the place up, making it look more spacious. When you clean windows, you may also decide to repaint the window frames which will make them look better looked-after. You can do this yourself, or hire a professional to do so for you, depending on your confidence on a ladder.
4. Paint the Fences
If you’ve got old fences or gates that have seen better days, refreshing them will make a huge difference to your kerb appeal. Some homeowners will replace them, especially if they’re looking to raise property value, but giving them a good clean and a fresh coat of paint will help them look newer and more appealing.
5. Brighten it Up
Some homes lack kerb appeal as they simply don’t stand out and they look boring, meaning that they don’t stick in the minds of anyone who sees it. Adding some colour attracts the eye and will make people take a second glance at your home, instantly improving your kerb appeal. You can do this by adding plants and flowers, or a few garden ornaments. You can personalise this to your taste to make the place more homely which will make it look more welcoming.
6. Move the Rubbish
While we all use rubbish bins, they are an eyesore and are best to be moved out of view of the front of your house if you can. Try to store them out of sight, at the side of your house or around the back so they aren’t the first thing that you see when you approach your home. This will not only help to make the front of the property more welcoming but lowers the risk of any nasty smells as you approach the door which is incredibly off-putting.
Whether you’re looking to improve your kerb appeal to sell your house or to simply make it more attractive for yourself, these tips will boost the attractiveness and have compliments rolling in left, right, and centre!
