Creating Kerb Appeal from EweMove North Leeds

In his guest blog Howard Bottomley, Director at EweMove North Leeds discusses how to present your home at its best when selling.

 

The saying goes that first impressions last. And you only get one chance to make a first impression…

There’s also a belief that buyers make their decision on whether to buy within 10 seconds of arriving at your home. I believe that this is too simplistic, but the reality is that when your potential buyer arrives, if they have a bad first impression, you’re starting off on the back foot.

You’ll then have an enormous amount of work to do to try and regain the lost momentum and move the viewer into a position of wanting to make you an offer. The problem faced by most people when they come to sell their home is that they fail to see what’s under their noses. Indeed, because of familiarity, they often fail to smell what’s under their noses! This can include odours from pets that they’ve long become desensitised to.

So, when you try to sell your home, you should first try to look dispassionately at your house through the eyes of an observer seeing it for the first time. This is often harder than it seems and you may need to enlist the help of a trusted friend who you can call upon to seek their advice and tell you the brutal truth!

Ask them, “If I absolutely had to sell my house and you needed to help me in the best way that you could – what should I do to make the buyer’s first impression as amazing as possible?”

At the end of the day, it’s simply a matter of common sense, a bit of good old elbow grease and a few quid spent. All of which will dramatically enhance and improve the presentation of your home.

I’ve produced a handy checklist for you to use as a guide:

• Clear the garden of any children’s toys/trampolines etc.
• Clear the garage/shed of any junk/items that you will not be taking to your new home
• Weed the garden and sweep up any leaves
• Jet wash any pathways and driveways
• Repair any broken fences and gates
• Paint any exterior woodwork and metalwork, for example gates, fences, gutters and doors
• Clear gutters and make sure that the roof has no missing or damaged tiles
• Clean windows inside and out
• Plant seasonal flowers and/or hanging baskets
• On the day of the viewing make sure that the driveway or roadside is clear for the viewer to park their car
• Try to conduct your viewings during the day
• If your property has two entrances, guide them to the entrance that has the most scenic visual outlook

These steps just cover the exterior of your property and my next blog will help you deal with the inside of your home.

A good way to look for inspiration on how to improve the appearance of your property is to get ideas from the best houses on your street and copy what they’ve done.

As ever, please give me a call on 07470 44 63 66, if you’d like a chat about your house.

 

Howard Bottomley
Director, EweMove North Leeds
07470 44 63 66
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*Advertorial blog for EweMove North Leeds