See Beyond The Inside

Before sellers put the for sale sign up, they always concentrate on the inside of the house. They give all the rooms a spring clean, declutter and generally minimise, so that potential buyers can imagine how they can utilise the space. However, the exterior of the house is often overlooked. This is potentially a disastrous move, as those looking to buy often drive round shortlisted properties before viewing. If they see a property that looks neglected from the outside, they probably won't even want to step foot inside.

Brighten Up The Paintwork

So, how can you spruce up your home's exterior to entice the buyers in? One of the first jobs should be to give the woodwork, guttering and brickwork a new coat of paint. This not only brightens up the house, but it also protects the wood or plastic from the elements and will show buyers that you are up to date with any maintenance. If you are going to undertake the painting yourself, then make sure that the surfaces are clean and dry, sand down the woodwork and fill in any cracks. Before you start check the weather forecast, as you don't want it to be freezing, damp, wet or windy and paint any windows and doors in the morning, so that they have plenty of time to dry.

Use Your Garden

Even if your property looks generally clean and tidy from the outside, there are still improvements you could do. Make sure that your gardens, both front and back, aren't neglected. Give the grass a cut and dig out any weeds before the estate agent takes the photographs and keep it up regularly whilst the house is on the market. It is easy to brighten up flower beds by adding a few bedding plants or put a blooming hanging basket by the door to welcome people in.

To help your property look appealing after dark install some outdoor lighting. This will not only create a perfect atmosphere, but it is also a security feature that buyers will look for. Put up some motion sensitive lights at the front and rear of the property to deter any intruders. If you have a usable outdoor entertaining area then highlight this with some mood enhancing solar lights. These can be obtained in a variety of styles and colours to suit any garden.

If you follow some of these handy hints before you put your home up for sale, then you have more chance of attracting that elusive buyer. In today's competitive market your home needs to stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons.


Genelia Long writes regularly on DIY projects and interior design for a range of property and lifestyle websites and blogs. She has personal experience of home renovation and a range of DIY projects.