You’re heading to the market and you’ve spent time and money on delivering a warm and inviting interior that you hope will appeal to a multitude of buyers. And now you’re standing on the footpath staring at the front of your home. Your heart sinks with the realisation it all looks a little tired and not to the standard of your interior…….worse still, the budget has been spent. And you know the value of a first impression. Panic sets in!!!!
Don’t worry, it’s not all bad news. You’re not alone. Potential home sellers face this issue all the time. And the good news is that you can achieve a lot with minimal outlay. So, let’s get started. Firstly, make sure your nature strip and front lawn are neat and tidy. That may mean some neighbourly mowing of the strips on either side of you.
Trim paths and garden bed edges with either a whipper-snipper or an edger – and make sure your paths are safe. If they’re sealed, check for and repair any wonky or loose pavers, or cracked concrete that anyone can trip or slip on. Now it’s time to turn your attention to those freshly trimmed garden beds. Weed and trim wayward plants to neaten them up and promote healthy growth and increased flowering. Once trimmed and neatened, you might find there’s more bare dirt showing than you’d like, so invest in a few bags of mulch and spread over the beds. Trim unruly trees for the same reason and to allow increased light into your home.
Now you’ve got the lawns, paths and garden beds sorted, take a long-handled brush to your home’s exterior and remove all cobwebs and dust. You’ll be amazed at just how fresh your home looks and make sure those windows sparkle with a good clean. If you have external blinds that look a little worn, roll them up neatly and fix them in place under the eaves. If they’re damaged, remove them. Front doors can have a wow-factor, so a good front door is a must. If yours looks a little tired, and your budget allows, replace it with a good secondhand door and paint that up, or give your existing door a fresh coat of paint and maybe add a decorative knocker or exterior light or a welcoming pot of colour or greenery.
Never take your front fence for granted. It’s the first part of your property people see. Ensure it’s in tip top condition. That might mean repairing broken/missing palings, wire or brickwork. A fresh coat of paint will never go astray, so if you have a solid but tired looking picket fence or timber uprights, you can easily achieve winning results with a careful DIY effort. And if you think it needs a little more help, why not plant a hedge to improve its look? Sure, your newly planted hedge won’t be established by sale time, but buyers will see ‘the future’ and be pleased with your effort. And a fence’s best friends are the gate and letterbox. Make sure both are well-presented and functioning smoothly.
An often-forgotten area is the roof, but it makes up such a large part of what people see from the street. If your budget allows, a pressure clean will have tiles looking like new, and repainting a galvanized iron roof is an inexpensive and wise investment. If there’s no money for either, ensure your gutters are leaf and stick-free. And once you’re all done, don’t forget to hide all the eyesores….remove rubbish and put garbage bins and unnecessary pet or children’s toys away and hide air-conditioning units behind plants or screens to give a more streamlined look. Now stand back and take a bow. You’ve got a new look that may help your property sell faster and for a higher price. You’re good to go!”
