How can I increase my kerb appeal?
Kerb appeal often gets overlooked by homeowners, who tend to focus on the interior of their home rather than the exterior. However, kerb appeal is the first time that someone sees your property and that first impression lasts, so whether you want to improve your appeal to sell your home or simply to make the place more attractive for yourself, We Buy Any House have outlined their top tips.
Does kerb appeal really matter?
If you’re trying to sell your house, kerb appeal is massively important and can be the difference between a potential buyer coming to view and put in an offer on the property, or choosing not to and moving forward with a house that looks better from the outside.
For those who aren’t looking to sell but want to make home improvements, the outside of your house is still the first thing that any of your visitors see, and a house with great kerb appeal will automatically impress anyone seeing it.
Homes that look good from the outside will also make those seeing it assume that the inside will be in great condition too which a lot of homeowners want.
How can I improve my kerb appeal?
There are lots of ways that you can make your house look more attractive, and most of them are much easier than you might have first thought!
- Improve your front door
Your front door is the centre of attention when someone approaches your property, and will catch the eye of most people going past as well. Some homeowners choose to replace the front door completely, but this can be an expensive option and not suitable to those wanting to improve their appeal on a lower budget.
Instead, you can look to repaint the door which will make it look like new – you can pick a bold, bright colour that will stand out and grab attention of any passers-by. Some of the most popular colours that you can choose from are –
- Lilac
- Navy
- Racing green
- Grey
- Deep red
- Black
You can pick the colour that you think suits the property most, and even match it to any flowers or ornaments that you might have at the front of your home – but remember, you will need to pick a colour that complements your house. It can be easy to fall from eye-catching into eye-sore, so make sure that the colour won’t clash with the surroundings.
- Add some lighting
Outdoor lights are a very attractive addition to any home, and are even more effective in the winter months when the evenings set in earlier. Lanterns on either side of the door frame are a very popular option, providing more light at the entrance of your property as well as adding a touch of class.
For those who aren’t keen on lanterns, you can look at spotlights or a more old-fashioned but still very effective metal torch style, brightening the front of your home. Adding lighting is popular for more than one reason – while it does a good job of highlighting the front of the house and making it look better, it also offers a safety aspect that homes in darkness don’t. This will appeal massively to a lot of buyers and make them feel more comfortable.
- Keep it symmetrical
Symmetry is a brilliant addition to the front of homes as you can personalise it as much as you want and create some stunning effects. It’s a very popular choice as it’s a classic in visual design and it stimulates the brain automatically, increasing interest and being incredibly pleasing to the eye.
Depending on the amount of space that you’ve got to work with, you can look at having pots either side of your door, matching plants along the path, or hedgerows that run parallel along your property. You can really play with different designs to find what works best for your house.
- Clean the windows
A lot of homeowners will forget about the windows, but a house with clean windows compared to a house with dirty ones will look much better and gain more interest. Whether you choose to have your windows cleaned professionally or do it yourself, it will make a big difference. Make sure to also clean the insides of the windows too – this will let more natural light in, benefitting both the interior and exterior!
Cleaning windows also pairs well with repainting the frames, making them look newer and better maintained. You can choose whatever colour works best for your house – some will stick with a classic white frame, other homeowners opt for a black that looks sleeker and more defined, making the windows stand out even more.
With several different ways that you can improve your kerb appeal on any budget, we hope that these ideas help to inspire you!
