KERB APPEAL -7 Tips on How To Increase The Value Of Your Home.
Whether you’re trying to sell your house, improve your investment property to attract a higher rent, renovate to sell or you’re just wanting an upgrade, the exterior of your home can make a big difference to its value and appeal…. I’m talking about ‘Kerb Appeal’ (curb appeal). Adding Kerb appeal can increase your home value by 3% – 5% according to Consumer Reports.
Improving your property’s kerb appeal is definitely an important factor in attracting a higher purchase price if you are selling. It’s obviously not the only thing a buyer looks for, but it can affect a buyer’s first impression. Surveys have shown that buyers will offer more than $50K below asking price if the property has poor kerb appeal!
Tip 1. 1. Tidy the yard
Decluttering around the whole house is the first and probably the most important step when it comes to making your yard more visually appealing. First of all, hire a skip bin and get rid of anything that is broken, junk or not contributing positively to the property. Trim trees and bushes, remove fallen branches and rotten leaves that have accumulated over time, especially around sheds. Remove any old buildings, sheds, lean-tos… anything that is taking up space and not needed. The object of the exercise is to make your outside area seem larger. Aside from looking neater, it will look more inviting as well.Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
Tip 2. Planting
The trees and plants on your property need to create a picture – a sense of order; an invitation to enter so it is worth spending time at your local nursery getting advice from the experts as to which plants will enhance your kerb appeal and transform your yard. Good landscaping can have a huge impact! Depending on your budget and size of your front and backyard, there are several options you can choose from.
The general rule of thumb is to plant trees in the back and side of your yard -to create borders and privacy; different sized shrubs to create variety; and flowerbeds along the pathways and near the front door to create visual beauty. Greenery will not only provide you with much-needed privacy, but it will also give depth to your landscaping. If your yard is rather small, go for one or two layers and include some pollinator-friendly plants if you want to attract birds.
Several years ago, nurseries researched the value of adding coloured flowers to the front of the house. Flowers made people happy and they beautified the area. But something interesting came out of the studies. When flowers were present at the front of the property and were the same or similar colour to that of the front door, it made people believe the house was larger. Strange but true!
Unless you have lots of time, aim for fuss-free landscaping and low-maintenance plants. Your front garden is mainly going to be viewed against the backdrop of your property, so choose a look that enhances its best features and conceals its less appealing ones.
Keep lawn green with fertiliser – weed free and neat by using edging and always keep it trimmed short. Replace dead patches with standard trees and flower beds.
Tip 3. Add pot plants and planters
Something very simple to enhance your front door entrance is to strategically place flower pots and planters to welcome people. Display them on either side of the door or in its vicinity. If you have a covered porch then it’s even better because you get to beautifully display numerous flower pots and they will be protected from rain and harsh weather conditions.
Colour and texture can break up a plain house and the colour of a planter can add needed contrast to houses that lack character. Pots offer a opportunity to decorate the exterior of the home with timely colour and accents regardless of the weather. You can also make a smart entrance by placing standard trees either side of the front door. This always makes a bold statement.
Tip 4. Pathways and driveways
Kerb appeal is greatly enhanced by neat paths and driveways – particularly the path that leads to the front door. These paths play a very important part in the first impression people will get when they see your property for the first time. Therefore, you should make them look as good as possible within your budget. You keep soil and grass from being walked into the home with a simple garden path, which can be an attractive feature in its own right.
Natural materials are the best option for upgrading your pathways and it isn’t as challenging as it seems. There are numerous brick and stone suppliers that specialiSe in the production of unique bricks which can make your pathways look fabulous… and with a bit of patience you can do the work yourself. You can use paving slabs, paving blocks, crazy paving, bricks, stone chippings, gravel, asphalt and concrete…your choices are only limited by your imagination. Use materials that suit your home; so if you have brick walls and a slate roof, consider using brick edging and slate paving.
If you have a concrete driveway or paths you should repair any and all cracks then paint using a roller and paving paint – this can instantly transform these areas into features, particularly if the paint is well chosen to support the house colour. Borders are always attractive an again there are many, many materials you can use to edge gardens and lawned areas. Plant some flowerbeds along the paths to make them cheery and welcoming.
Tip 5. Garage door
In addition to closing off the garage, providing security and keeping the weather out of your garage, the doors are often one of the first things that most visitors to your house will notice. If the doors are in poor disrepair it is important that you replace them with one of the many modern doors on the market.
If the door/s are in good repair and just need a coat of paint to upgrade, then you have 2 choices with colour – paint it to blend into the brick colour of the structure and the house or choose paint to blend into the mortar colour rather the brick colour. This contrast is often very effective and helps to blend the garage doors into the existing buildings and allows you to create architectural balance. Matching the colour of the garage door with the front is very popular and does add a nice design feature for both the house and the garage.
That said, improving the look of your garage door in general adds value to the property. So replacing plain, flat doors with doors with much more detail and better design is an upgrade worth considering when trying to improve kerb appeal. Look for carriage style, panelled, shaker details etc.
Also consider upgrading to an automatic door opener – it is often seen as a luxury, but a simple remote-controlled motor allows you to open the garage from the inside the car. Not only does this mean that you do not have to get wet in the rain, it is seen by many people as a safety feature, as they do not have to leave the car to open or close the door – enhancing the value of the property. Of course, this is only an option if you have a sectional or roller door.
Tip 6. Front door
One of the simple ways to boost the kerb appeal of the entire house is to make your front door stand out. Whether choosing a new front door, or refurbishing and painting the existing front door, updating a front door is a quick, easy and often DIY-possible way of improving your home’s façade. The colour of your front door is VERY important.
A US based company ran a study over 8 years and found that houses with a black or charcoal grey front door were more appealing and frequently attracted a higher price when sold. But this may not work for your house so try to pick up the colour of your front door with a feature of the house (garage door, window frames, roof).
When choosing a new front door don’t always go for the budget option. Not only do you need to consider the style, you need to think about safety, so going for a solid and secure door is important.
Just a tip here… If you live on a road where there is a very uniform house type, you should try to match your front door as closely as possible to those of the homes around yours, particularly if you are selling the property.
Before painting, ensure you have made any repairs so the finished door looks good as new. You can upgrade fittings with new ones but I found on many occasions that using a solvent to remove all residue and old paint then spray painting with enamel can bring door handles and locks and hinges back to life. Don’t be afraid to use contrasting colours of fixtures to help your door have a wow factor.
One of the simple ways to boost the kerb appeal of the entire house is to make your front door stand out. Whether choosing a new front door, or refurbishing and painting the existing front door, updating a front door is a quick, easy and often DIY-possible way of improving your home’s façade. The colour of your front door is VERY important.
A US based company ran a study over 8 years and found that houses with a black or charcoal grey front door were more appealing and frequently attracted a higher price when sold. But this may not work for your house so try to pick up the colour of your front door with a feature of the house (garage door, window frames, roof).
When choosing a new front door don’t always go for the budget option. Not only do you need to consider the style, you need to think about safety, so going for a solid and secure door is important.
Just a tip here… If you live on a road where there is a very uniform house type, you should try to match your front door as closely as possible to those of the homes around yours, particularly if you are selling the property.
Before painting, ensure you have made any repairs so the finished door looks good as new. You can upgrade fittings with new ones but I found on many occasions that using a solvent to remove all residue and old paint then spray painting with enamel can bring door handles and locks and hinges back to life. Don’t be afraid to use contrasting colours of fixtures to help your door have a wow factor.
Tip 7. Illuminate your home
Nothing will improve the ambiance of a house better than a variety of lighting options. Obviously, this is only visible at night but it can change the entire feel of your property.
For many people, one of the reasons for buying a house instead of an apartment is the idea of enjoying time in the backyard. To be able to do that, you need some source of light. Illuminating your backyard, patio or house isn’t only practical, but visually appealing, too. It will make moving around safer and easier and it will shed a romantic light on an entire evening.
There’s a wide range of options to explore. Add soffit lights to highlight the architecture of the house, ground lights to accent trees or high bushes and porch lights to create a welcome glow near the front door.
Don’t forget the front of the house. Attractive lights at the front door can create a ‘wow’ factor! So, consider all options and stretch your budget to enhance the entrance to the house with great lighting.
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Conclusion
If you’re selling, it’s important to understand the effect that good ‘Kerb Appeal’ has on the asking price of a property.
For a homeowner, studies have shown that improving the exterior of your house impacts on the overall feeling of satisfaction for every member of the household.
It doesn’t have to cost a fortune – there are many things you can do on a budget.
Hopefully my tips have assisted you in improving the value of your property 😉
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