Following on from our video on ‘how to dress your property’, today’s blog is all about getting the outside right. In particular we will mention kerb appeal and how to make your property more attractive from the road, as well as how to make your garden a place of envy, regardless of how big or small it is.
Improve the kerb appeal.
So let’s start with kerb appeal! Nine times out of 10, the first thing people will see when they view a property (either in a photo or in person) is the front garden and elevation.
It doesn’t matter whether you have a large detached house with a front big garden and sprawling driveway or a terraced house with little to no front garden. Good presentation can immediately attract a potential buyer, whilst badly presented property could mean that potential viewers won’t even call to book a viewing.
So, where to start? Well, the first rule is:
Avoid Bin Day!!
Seeing the neighbours bins lined up down the street on your photo isn’t a great start.
Here are a few more basics to consider:
- Ensure the entrance to your property is viewer welcoming
- The front door and windows should be cleaned (and re-painted if necessary)
- Paths and driveway cleared and swept
- Mow the lawn & trim shrubs and bushes
- Gutters cleared
- Fences painted or wall repaired if necessary
- If your front elevation has a painted finish, give it a fresh coat
- It is nice to have flowers planted, if not in beds, scatter a few pots around for colour
And here are some examples of ‘how to’ and ‘how not to’ do it:
Create Garden Envy
OK, so you don’t need to have a garden designed by a landscape gardener (although, obviously that would be great), you just need to think about how to best present it.
Since the first lockdown, outside space has proven to be more important to buyers and can be a deal breaker. Therefore, no matter how big or small your outside space is, show it at its best and create an environment that buyers can envisage themselves relaxing after a hard day of work.
Here are the basics:
- Mow the lawn and define the edges
- Trims bushes & hedges and prune trees
- Plant colourful borders or add potted plants
- Paint or fix any fences
- Define sunny areas with seating (even set a couple of glasses and a bottle of wine out)
- Add solar lights
- For balconies, add colourful planted pots, a little bistro table and chairs and paint the railings if necessary
And a couple more examples of ‘how to’ and ‘how not to’
Thank you for reading, we hope these tips are useful and remember, we are here to help in any way we can with the sale of your property. We also welcome suggestions for future written and video blogs.
