Creating Curb Appeal

If you are thinking of selling your home or have decided to try to rent it out to tenants, then you need to think about how much curb appeal your property has. With “drive-by viewings” fast becoming the norm for prospective buyers / tenants that are short on time and spoilt for choice, the need to give the outside of your home that opening wow-factor is more pressing than ever before.

This doesn’t mean that you need to spend a fortune to get your home up to spec (unless it’s in a particularly bad way), as often all that’s required is a bit of hard work. It might involve repainting tired looking doors or window frames, repairing cracks in plasterwork, repainting cracked brickwork or replacing broken fence panels. When your wooden fencing is looking less than fresh, but is still sturdy and standing tall, then you can consider painting it or re-staining it to get it looking good again.

Tidiness costs nothing to create (unless you employ a gardener or cleaner of course) so it should be the first thing you shoot for. Once achieved, tidiness can be maintained with less effort than before and will have a marked effect on the impact your house can have. Simply clearing away tools and children’s toys when they aren’t in use will help to make your space less cluttered, while taking steps to reduce overgrowth will deliver the neatness you need to compete in the housing market today.

Weeding borders and mowing lawns will often be all that’s needed to allow a potential buyer or tenant to see the potential of your garden space. But if you really want to make the garden look spectacular then a little temporary landscaping can help. Buying potted plants and placing them in strategic positions can make your front garden seem glorious, but because they are potted you will be able to remove them to your own/new home with ease. It is best not to get too many though, as you could end up overwhelming the viewer.

Your aim when preparing a home for sale should be to create more a blank canvass look than a pre-personalised one, as the tastes of buyers may differ somewhat from your own. Try not to use particularly garish colours when repainting things if possible, and when working with older properties you might want to consider returning features to their original appearance where possible. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of character though, as it is sometimes good to stand out in a crowd (especially when neighbouring properties are identical and also up for sale) but you need to leave room for new owners to put their own stamp on it.

Don’t overlook the simple things, such as cleaning windows and jet washing patios/drives. No one expects a lived-in home to be spotless on the outside, but the cleaner it looks lets prospective buyers and tenants see that the previous occupants have taken pride in their home (and looked after it accordingly). Having “careful previous owners” has been a staple selling point for time immemorial and should not be underestimated now.

Remember that light traveling into the property is very important once you get people inside, so any vegetation that might be obscuring the natural light source should be removed or controlled if possible. This doesn’t mean cutting down trees indiscriminately, but managing their branches in an effective way. It might be worth consulting a qualified arboriculturist before making any decisions about trees in your garden area, as removal can lead to serious problems with heave in some cases.

Don’t forget that getting people through your door is only half the job when trying to sell your house or find some tenants, so devote proportionate time and thought to the interior as well. If you are starting out as a landlord, you need to think about landlord insurance for your rental property. Whenever you are operating a letting, whether it is rented full time or as a holiday home, you need to make sure your home insurance is fit for purpose and allows for the use you are putting the property to.

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