How to Add Kerb Appeal on a Budget
With the Springtime being peak house-selling season, you might be thinking of putting your home on the market sometime soon.
When it comes to selling, making the outside of your home as clean and tidy as the inside will help entice potential buyers through the door. Buyers are likely to drive to your home days before their viewing appointment, to see what the neighbourhood is like before they arrive.
Between estate agent fees and saving for a deposit on your future home, money can be really tight for those selling houses. If you’re in a similar position, then check out our top tips for adding instant kerb appeal without breaking the bank.
1. Always Keep Windows & Sills Clean
Dirty or smeared windows can make your home look untidy and not very well looked after to potential buyers. Keep on top of toddler’s handprints and streak marks by giving your windows a once over every day.
If your window cleaner is prone to leaving dirty water marks on your outdoor sills, then give them a quick wash with some warm soapy water and a cloth to keep them looking fresh.
2. Keep Weeds at Bay
It’s amazing the difference an hour’s work in the garden can make to your home. Although the pavement outside your home is technically up to your local council to keep tidy, removing weeds and litter will make everything look so much tidier.
Use a scraper to clear moss and weeds from the gaps between your slabs or paving blocks, and sweep fresh sand over them to keep them looking as good as new.
3. Fix Anything That’s Broken
Nothing is going to put viewers off chapping on your front if they’ve had to wrestle a rickety gate and uneven paving slabs to get there. Replacing a gate and re-laying a few slabs could be a real deal-breaker when it comes to getting an offer, and won’t cost you an arm and a leg in reality.
4. Clean Your Gutters and Downpipes
Admittedly not one of the most glamorous jobs on our list, but one that’s definitely worthwhile. It’s easy to spot who looks after these little jobs from the side of the road, and overflowing gutters or rusty pipework could be something puts potential buyers off before they even set foot in the door.
Remove moss and vegetation build up, and give your pipework a rub down and a fresh lick of paint with outdoor metal paint.
5. Look After Your Roof
Give your roof and loft a thorough inspection for air gaps, broken or loose tiles and any other damage. A run-down roof could end up costing buyers thousands of pounds to repair down the line and could encourage low offers or prevent you from selling your home at all.
6. Work with Your Neighbour
You could have the best looking garden in the whole street, but if your next door neighbour’s home looks shoddy in comparison it could put buyers off living next to them. Why not offer to pick any litter out of their garden, pick a few weeds or trim their side of the hedge too to keep things a bit more orderly.
7. Tidy Your Bins
These days we have so many different bins and boxes for recycling that they can easily make a small garden look cluttered. Investing in a wheelie bin storage box, or even using or making a small screen to cover them up will make the world of difference - especially if they have to be kept in at the front of the house.
8. Invest in a New Number Plaque
There’s nothing more infuriating than house numbers and signs that can’t be read - especially when you’re looking for a house in a street you’re not familiar with. Remember that potential buyers can be coming from different towns completely, so make your house as easy to find as possible.
You might have had the same number plaque since you oved in - or it could have been there for even years before that. These days you can get modern acrylic signs made in any colour, font and shape you like from sites like eBay for as little as £10.
9. Power Wash & Weed Your Garden
Let's face it, a Saturday afternoon in the garden ripping weeds up doesn't sound much fun to anyone, but it could certainly make you sell your house quicker. A tidy front garden gives viewers an idea of what to expect when they get inside - so if it’s left overgrown and uncared for they won’t be excited to enter the front door.
If you don’t own your own power washer, hire one or borrow one from one of your friends to scrub up your paths, steps, decking and driveway. Power washing can remove years worth of grime, dirt and moss build up, making your garden look like new again!
10. Choose The Same Brickwork When Extending
There’s nothing worse than seeing a home with a new extension that doesn’t match the rest of the exterior, no matter how pretty it is inside. If your home is bricked try and get as close a match as possible for your extension, or pay to have it rendered or painted to blend in with the main part of the house. It might cost you a bit extra upfront, but if you know that this isn't your forever home and you’ll be selling one day, then these finishing touches are well worth the investment.
11. Give Doors a Mini Makeover
First impressions mean everything, so if your front door is really dated or has seen better days then it might be time for an upgrade. If your budget can’t stretch to the price of a new front door, then a coat of paint and some new hardware will completely transform the look.
Add some welcoming finishing touches like a brand new door mat and a colourful hanging basket. Never underestimate the power of symmetry either! A topiary tree and statement lights at either side of your door will add style and elegance.
12. Tidy Away Clutter
This one is the easiest on the list, but probably the most overlooked!
Make sure your home looks as clean and tidy as possible on the outside by clearing away the likes of any rubbish that has blown in, gardening tools that need sent to the shed, kids bikes and scooters that have been abandoned and your dog walking wellies.
If you have any more kerb-appeal ideas, we would love to hear them! Tweet us at
