With the Corona virus impacting many UK businesses, millions of employees stuck at home on furlough, some struggling to manage on 80% of their wages and most not knowing if they’ll even have a job to return to, Those living in the North West’s popular property locations such as Bolton, Wigan, Leigh, Warringon, St Helens and Westhoughton are now reluctant to put their house on the market believing that the housing market is too unstable at the moment and they will either struggle to sell, or have to sell for a lot less than the house is worth… But is it?
Well, It is true that banks are reluctant to give out mortgages at the moment, worried that the customer will default within the first 12/18 months leaving them to recover their money by selling the house, but if house prices fall they may end up getting less than the mortgage amount and this is the reason that 5% mortgages are currently very rare because 5% simply isn’t enough to cover falling house prices. Many banks are still offering 20% mortgages and some are offering 10% mortgages if you meet a certain criteria but these are big deposits, too much for most first time buyers to get together so there are fewer buyers at the moment.
The truth is houses are still selling, not everyone’s job has been effected by COVID19 and the lock down, many people do have savings and not everyone needs a mortgage, some people are downsizing and buying from proceeds of their own sale, some people are cash buyers, however it does mean that there are fewer buyers to go around so if your house has a lot of competition then it must stand out and wow potential buyers.
Kerb Appeal Can Make Your Property Stand Out.
It’s a buyers’ market at the moment, buyers; especially the ones with cash from proceeds or enough savings to put down a large deposit on a mortgage have lots of houses to choose from so if you want your house to be the one they choose then it needs to stand out and kerb appeal is the way to go about this.
Here are some of the best ways to boost your homes kerb appeal.
Windows, Doors, Conservatories & Bi Folding Doors
Bi folding doors will definitely add kerb appeal and increase the price of your home as will a nice conservatory, however these are large expenses and you may not get your outlay back if your home has already reached it’s maximum price for the house type, size in your area.
If you already have reasonably new double glazing then a good clean of both the glass and the frames goes a long way to beautifying your home and making windows look brand new again. If you have old shabby wooden windows then UPVc double glazing is relatively inexpensive compared to the value it puts on your home. Buyers are put off if they believe they need to replace the windows and will typically choose a similar home that already has new windows.
Guttering, Soffits and Fascia Boards
Like windows, UPVc guttering, soffits and fascia boards come up like new after a good clean and new UPVc guttering, soffits and fascia boards comes in at between £1500 and £2000 for a medium sized semi making it a fantastic investment. There is nothing worse than pulling up outside of a house you are thinking about buying and looking up at dirty or leaking guttering so fixing this should be high of your priorities if you want a quick sale.
Pointing, Rendering and Brickwork
Just like windows, guttering, soffits and fascia boards,potential buyers eyes are generally drawn to the brickwork or rendering of a house. Cracks or flakes in rendering should be fixed and the entire house re-painted, this is a fairly inexpensive project yet will make your home look well maintained.
It’s a fact that a majority of buyers prefer bare brickwork, this is due the fact that in some cases, rendering can be used to hide poor build quality, poorly done renovations or issues with the brickwork due to subsidence, with bare brickwork you can see the true condition of a building, but if you have crumbling and missing mortar this can be an eyesore and make your brickwork seem less than sturdy, however for the sake of a few hundred pounds you can have your brickwork raked out and re-pointed to make it look perfect and attract buyers.
There are many companies who specialise in brick pointing around Leigh, Wigan and Bolton so finding a local reputable pointing and Brickwork Company shouldn’t be too difficult.
Driveways, Paths and Patios
Often overlooked by house sellers are driveways, paths and patios. Some people will say that it’s the house itself that sells, but poorly maintained paths and patios full or weeds and ugly tarmac driveways can be off putting and lower the value of your house.
If the look, size and deco of your house is comparable to a similar house in a similar price range then the house with the best looking outside will be the house that’s chosen by the potential buyer.
People also want low maintenance so choosing pattern imprinted concrete for your driveways, paths and patios over high maintenance block paving is a wise choice. Having a pattern imprinted concrete driveway installed may be costly but will increase the price of your home because people know the benefits.
Gardens and Yards
Whether your house has a garden or a yard it’s important to keep on top of weeds and shrubbery. Overgrown hedges and weed strewn gardens or yards can be off-putting to potential buyers. It costs nothing to trim hedges and pull up weeds so no garden should look overgrown or overrun with weeds especially when it’s on the market.
In Summary
Kerb appeal produces a lasting first impression – most buyers make up their minds within the first few minutes of arriving at a property. So if you are thinking about putting your home on the market this year or your house has been on sale for a while with very little interest then it’s worth going through this list and seeing what improvements you could make to impress potential buyers.
