Boosting your home's kerb appeal is a really important part of preparing to sell. There are lots of relatively simple ways to ensure your property gives an excellent first impression to potential buyers and to passers-by, while also boosting its value. Even straightforward maintenance and tidying can have a big impact on viewers, as well as saving you money through the prevention of long-run problems.
Use our tips to boost your home's kerb appeal, then read our feature on selling a house or flat to ensure you're well prepared.
1. Revamp the front door
As the entrance way to your home, your front door makes a statement about your whole property. It determines whether or not guests or potential buyers will think it’s welcoming and well maintained. Barbara Corcoran, American property tycoon, has argued that buyers decide to purchase a home in the first eight seconds of a viewing, so first impressions really do matter.
Improving your front door is fairly simple. A quick refinishing can rejuvenate weather-beaten wood. Using metal polish on the door fixtures can remove the rust and dirty spots making an old door look new. And a fresh coat of paint allows you to add colour and character to your home. Use these guides to get yours looking its best:
- How to restore your front door
- How to paint a front door
- Modern front door design ideas
- Traditional front door design ideas
2. Transform your home's exterior
Whether the walls are brick, stone or covered in cladding, touching them up can bring your home back to life. A complete re-cladding, re-rendering or repointing will have the biggest impact, but could set you back several thousand pounds, dependent on the size of the property. However, if yours is an ugly property that's proving difficult to budge, it's definitely worth considering. Use our guides to find out more:
- How to transform your home's exterior: ideas and expert advice
- Cladding and render: an ultimate guide
- How to paint a house, inside and out
3. Maintain windows and paintwork
Don't have the budget for transforming your home's exterior? Woodwork and window repainting will only cost around £500 while still adding value. Even washing grubby windows can make your home look brighter and more inviting. Use our guides to find out more:
- How to restore and maintain timber windows
- How to restore and maintain metal windows
- How to restore and maintain leaded windows
- Best ways to clean windows
4. Tidy up your pathway
One of the cheapest and easiest ways to enhance the kerb appeal of your home is ensuring any pathways are pristine. A quick power wash will rejuvenate the route to your entrance, removing dirt and stains. Clearing away weeds and replacing any cracked paving stones will not only improve the look of your path, but make it safer for when the winter ice returns. Ensuring your home has flat paths is essential for those with pushchairs, wheelchairs or little toddlers – so easy access should increase the number of potential buyers for your property. Use our guides below to get started.
- Find the best pressure washers in our buyer's guide
- How to design a garden path
- How to lay a quick-fix gravel path
5. Manicure the front garden
A well-maintained front garden will make a house look well cared for – and in buyers' minds, a well-cared for exterior means a well-kept interior. It doesn’t take much to trim back an overgrown garden, but it will vastly improve its charm, potentially along with the value of your home. General upkeep is good practice but the more ambitious may wish to consider landscaping projects. Make sure to rid your garden of unwanted weeds early in the season before their roots grow too deep and spread throughout.
A gorgeous garden will always attract more potential buyers, especially when the weather is pleasant. Stunning landscaping could add up to 20 per cent to the value of your property, so a few hours spent as an amateur Monty Don will be well worth your effort. Cheaper fixes like hanging baskets and flowerpots either side of the front door will also make a difference. A fresh, attractive exterior could add up to 10 per cent to your home’s value. Be inspired by our front garden design ideas to get yours in good shape.
6. Hide the bins
If there's nowhere to tuck them away neatly – perhaps down the side of the house – then a bin shed is a must. Find plenty of bin storage on Amazon.
7. Fix broken gutters, gates and fences
If gutters are hanging off their fixings, the gate off its hinges and fences are damaged, your house will immediately lose value. Taking a weekend to tackle these jobs can pay dividends, both in attracting buyers who would have been put off by poorly maintained exterior details, and in boosting the value of the house. Use our guides below for more info:
- Best garden gates
- How to clean, repair and paint old iron gates and railings
- Garden fence design ideas
- The best fence stains to smarten up your garden
