If you’re considering moving house in the new year, the sooner you kickstart this process, the better.
After all, January and February are among the cheapest times to move house, so you can start the new year on the right foot!
Furthermore, despite popular misconception, moving home doesn’t have to be a nightmare. There are plenty of steps that you can take to facilitate a speedy and stress-free move, starting by ensuring your home is as appealing as possible when it hits the market. After all, this means that you are far more likely to capture the attention of a potential buyer, even in locations that are known for being competitive.
While there are many ways in which you can get your property sale-ready, such as by learning about how to stage your home, it’s best to start working on your home’s exterior first by improving your curb appeal.
Why is curb appeal important?
Curb appeal refers to the way in which your property looks, both in pictures and upon arrival at your home. It plays a significant role in attracting the attention of a potential buyer, as it makes up a large percentage of their first impression of your home. In fact, a recent study found that two-thirds of buyers are deterred from making an offer if they feel as though the property in question lacks curb appeal.
How to improve curb appeal.
Fortunately, there are many steps that you can take to enhance your property’s curb appeal. For example, you can:
- Neaten up your garden
- Deal with any obvious maintenance issues
- Add a fresh coat of paint
- Jetwash your driveway
Neaten up your garden. While an overgrown or messy garden may not seem like a major issue, especially as it’s a quick fix, you’d be surprised at how many viewers are deterred from viewing a property as a result of this. This is because it seems to indicate that you have not taken good care of the home itself, souring their perception of your property before they have even stepped through the door.
As such, tidying up your garden, such as by working with a company like DD’s Landscaping is a great starting point when it comes to enhancing your curb appeal. This is because they can quickly turn a garden that hasn’t so much as seen a lawn mower in several years into something straight out of a garden magazine!
When updating your outdoor spaces, you may also want to plant or hang brightly coloured flowers. This is a great way to make your home appear a little more welcoming!
Deal with any obvious maintenance issues. Resolving any obvious maintenance issues, such as missing or dislodged roof tiles and guttering, is another great way to enhance your curb appeal. However, this can also add a considerable amount of value to your property, as buyers would likely submit low offers to homes that need a considerable amount of work carried out post-move-in date. This is also a great way to ensure that your property is as appealing as possible, both in-person and on listings.
While these are tasks that many homeowners opt to tackle independently, remember to take care when working at height. If any maintenance issues require electrical or plumbing work to be carried out, hire a professional. While this comes at an additional expense, it’so not worth putting your safety on the line.
Add a fresh coat of paint. Adding a fresh coat of paint to doors, window frames, and decking is another straightforward yet undeniably effective way to enhance your home’s curb appeal. This is because it makes the property look good as new by removing obvious signs of wear and tear and weather damage. Again, it will also improve the quality of pictures and videos posted to your listings, helping you to present your home in the best possible light. Furthermore, this is a relatively cost-effective way to boost your curb appeal, as you can carry out this task yourself with a bit of DIY!
Jetwash your driveway. Jetwashing your driveway is another excellent way to go about improving your curb appeal, as it has the power to ‘wash away’ years of dirt and grime, leaving your driveway looking as though it is newly installed. This, again, goes a long way to making your home look as presentable as possible, and will not take up too much of your time either. Remember, you can also jetwash walls (though remember to be careful around your windows).
