Messy Exteriors Can Knock Thousands Off Property Prices

When you're putting your property on the market, you will often spend a lot of time focusing on the interior design and layout, but it could be the gardens and exterior of the house that attract a buyer.

New research shows that buyers are prepared to take off up to 20% of a property's value just because the outside appears messy and unkempt. Therefore, doing some work on the exterior of your home and the garden could be a good investment.

A Tidy Garden Can Pay

The survey, which was carried out by Barclays Mortgages, highlighted that around half of buyers would knock £57,600 off the value of a property if the outside wasn't tidy enough for them, which equates to 20% of the average asking price.

The main issues that potential buyers have with the outside of homes are pest control, messy gardens and close proximity to noisy locations, such as a pub or restaurant.

It's vital that as a seller you take the time to clear up outside your property before it goes on the market, as the research showed that a viewer will decide in only 10 seconds if they like the house, before they've even gone inside. A third of those surveyed wouldn't view a property inside if they weren't impressed with what was outside.

However, just over half (53%) would consider a property that had an appealing exterior, even if it required large-scale renovations inside, such as replacing a steel staircase.

Increase Your Appeal

Homeowners shouldn't be too disturbed by this research, as there are some simple steps that you can take to brighten up the outside of your property and give it more kerb appeal. 69% of those who took part in the research cited a well-kept garden as the top external draw, and other important features were flower pots, a tidy lawn and nice hanging baskets.

These are all easy enough to incorporate into your property and could make the difference between a quick sale and sitting on the market for months.

This research should be studied by homeowners and serve as a warning that buyers want to be impressed by a new property. There might be a shortage of available properties, but that doesn't mean that buyers are prepared to compromise on style or pay too much for a house that needs a lot of work.