As the first thing prospective buyers will see, your home’s exterior can make or break a sale – or even decide whether they’ll click on your home in a property app or simply scroll on.
Your expensive home renovation won’t have the impact you’re hoping for if the outside still looks worn, outdated, dirty or unfashionable, as potential buyers won’t even cross the threshold. Therefore, outdoor home improvements and home maintenance should be at the top of your list when preparing your home to go on the market. But what really is kerb appeal, and how can you improve it? Keep reading to discover how to increase kerb appeal and boost the value of your home.
What is kerb appeal?
Kerb appeal refers to the attractiveness of your home when viewed from the street. It often encompasses elements like your front door, windows, plants, landscaping, exterior paint and other garden and architectural features.
In addition to referring to these aesthetic elements, kerb appeal also includes the general condition and upkeep of your property. So, for example, if your home has worn, peeling paint or crumbling brickwork, this can negatively impact its kerb appeal – even if you have spent money on landscaping and garden features.
Why is your home’s kerb appeal important?
Before prospective buyers can look at your new kitchen or tastefully decorated bedrooms, they’ll have to view the exterior of your property. First impressions can be very powerful, so a disappointing exterior could tarnish their experience of the rest of the property, no matter how nice the interior looks. Not only could this decrease the overall value of your home, but it could also cost you potential sales.
With the popularity of property apps like Zoopla and Rightmove, kerb appeal is more important than ever before. To catch people’s attention while scrolling, you need the first picture of your property to wow prospective buyers. Only then will they click through the rest of the gallery and potentially arrange a viewing.
Does kerb appeal add value?
Of course! By presenting a polished, well-maintained and attractive property, you’ll entice more potential buyers and drive up the price of your home. Plus, since buyers will be able to see that your home doesn’t need any work on the outside, they may be willing to pay more as they won’t need a budget for outdoor home improvements.
How to increase kerb appeal
So what can you do to increase your home’s kerb appeal? Here are 8 front garden ideas and decorating tips you can try:
Assessing your home’s current kerb appeal
Before you get started with any home improvements, you first need to assess the current condition of your home. This will help you pinpoint the areas that need attention and improvement.
To help you with this task, you should have a checklist of common problem areas to address. If you feel like a certain area is in good condition, you can tick it off the list. The checklist could look something like this:
- Front door in good condition
- Garden well-landscaped
- Litter removed
- Entrance well-lit
- Building appears structurally sound
- Windows in good condition
When considering which projects to undertake, make sure you think about the neighbourhood as a whole rather than just your property. A home that appears out of sync with its surroundings can be less appealing to buyers, and a more cohesive neighbourhood can raise the value of all homes in the area. Plus, you should think about the taste of your target audience rather than just your preferences. To appeal to as many buyers as possible, it’s best to stick to classic, neutral colours and design choices.
Front garden landscaping
A wild, unkempt garden isn’t going to set the best first impression. To show off your home in its best light, make sure the front garden is neatly landscaped and well watered. At a basic level, a healthy lawn is essential for making your home look well maintained, and all pathways should be neat and well defined. If you want to take things further, you should consider planting colourful flowers to really make your garden stand out. However, bear in mind that this will increase the amount of garden maintenance you need to do to keep it looking its best, so only commit to extensive landscaping if you have the time to dedicate to it.
Improving your front entryway
Once your front garden has been spruced up, you can get started on your home. Start with easy fixes like repainting and maintaining your front door. This is a simple way to freshen up the outside of your home, and you won’t need to spend much money at all. Stick to classic colours like black, red, grey and olive green to appeal to a wider range of buyers.
Your front entryway is essential for creating a welcoming impression when people first enter your home. This is why it’s so important that your front door looks as good as new when prospective buyers visit. In addition to painting your front door, you can add decorative elements like brass door-knockers and polish them to a mirror finish. Then, you can focus on the rest of the entry space. Remove clutter and add homely touches like houseplants, wall art and mood lighting.
Upgrading exterior features
Looking for more extensive renovations? If simple repairs and cleaning won’t do enough for you, perhaps you should consider adding some more features to your home’s exterior. For example, you can add elements such as window boxes, shutters, porch railings and hanging planters in addition to updating and painting existing features. This can give your property a new lease of life and potentially help it perform better on the housing market.
However, when making additions to your home, make sure you invest in high-quality materials. You may be tempted to go for a cheap and quick fix to help sell your home, but if buyers see these low-quality materials, they may be put off.
Maximising kerb appeal with box sash windows
Box sash windows are a traditional type of window consisting of two moveable panels known as sashes. These sashes slide vertically within a frame using a counterbalance mechanism, helping the windows open and close smoothly. To learn more about what box sash windows are, check out our blog for more information.
Since these windows are commonly found on older and historic homes, they can lend your property an air of elegance and timelessness. This is especially desirable if you have a very traditional facade, but even modern homes can benefit from the simple beauty of box sash windows. Box sash windows come in a wide variety of materials, including wood, aluminium and uPVC, so they can be made to fit any style.
Box sash windows add a great deal of charm to your property, and you can also benefit from their energy efficiency and sturdy, long-lasting construction. Replace your current windows with high-quality box sash windows if you’re hoping to make home improvements, or if you currently have sash windows, make sure you keep them clean and in good condition while your home is on the market.
Exterior lighting
Is your home well-lit? Not only can outdoor lighting deter burglars and improve safety at night, but it can also do wonders for your kerb appeal. Prospective buyers are drawn to homes that seem safe and secure, so adding adequate outdoor lighting is a great way to show that you’ve thought about these crucial elements.
Another key benefit of outdoor lighting is that it can highlight your favourite architectural or garden features, such as your porch, roof, box sash windows, shrubbery or garden fountains. With energy-efficient LED lighting, you can ensure that all of these beautiful features are admired – just remember to check the IP rating of any lights you use to verify that they’re weather-resistant!
Tackling maintenance and repairs
Spending a lot of money on upgrades and new additions won’t mean much if your home is still visibly worn or damaged. Before you can move onto the finishing touches, you need to ensure that all repairs have been addressed, starting from the most important fixes and moving on to smaller signs of wear and tear, such as peeling paint on doors and windows. Bigger tasks can include fixing cracked driveways, replacing damaged siding, repairing a broken fence or replacing broken roof tiles, so get started on these projects as soon as possible if you’re thinking of selling your home. Although this could be a big investment, it’ll certainly pay off when you get more interest in your property and increase the value of your home.
While you can do easy DIY maintenance tasks yourself, such as repainting surfaces, you should leave bigger projects and structural issues to the professionals. You could save money by doing it yourself, but with more extensive repairs, you run the risk of doing a poor job and compromising the appearance or even the structural integrity of your property. If in doubt, call a professional to look at the problem for you and advise you.
Final touches and finishing flourishes
After you’ve addressed all of the areas listed above, you can get creative with your final touches. Show off your personal style by adding a decorative door-knocker, potted plants, feature lighting or a display of vases or candles in the windows, but remember to keep things appealing to popular tastes.
Even the smallest details can make a big difference to your home’s kerb appeal. For example, hiding your wheelie bins can make your front garden seem even neater, or quickly pressure washing the driveway can get rid of those stubborn weeds and spots of dirt. Above all, you need to make sure your home looks neat, tidy and welcoming if you want to maximise its potential.
Common kerb appeal mistakes
The tips and tricks above are a great starting point if you’re new to the concept of kerb appeal. However, you may still make some costly errors if you’re not careful. Here are some common mistakes to avoid when doing outdoor home improvements:
- Forgetting about return on investment (ROI): Not all home improvements are created equal. While you may love your new water feature or flower patch, a potential buyer could see this as a liability if the upkeep seems too expensive or time-consuming. Focus on improvements with a higher ROI, such as repainting the doors and windows or keeping the garden well maintained – these fixes are cheap, quick and effective.
- Going overboard: Similarly, doing too much can be a problem. Adding too many plants or garden features can be overwhelming and off-putting to some buyers, who will worry about the garden maintenance. Sometimes, a more minimalist approach can be beneficial.
- Making controversial changes: It’s best to stick to neutral shades when repainting your home’s exterior. While you may love a bright shade of yellow for your front door, a bold choice like this could be controversial among potential buyers. To appeal to as many buyers as possible, it’s easier to stick to popular design choices.
