Cheering up the outside of your property on the cheap

Ideally you don't want to spend loads of money doing up the house you're moving from.

Buy plants that can be put into pots and then you can take them with you. Don't include potted outdoor plants automatically. If the buyers want them, let them offer a few quid for them

Suggested plants include confiers (Dwarf ones) and winter bedding plants. These are very cheap and you get some pretty good colours too - look at these pansys from thompson and morgan.
They're ideal for flower beds or troughs outside your front door.
Very welcoming in winter, but not perhaops suitable for a swanky city centre flat where a palm might be more suited.

Keep them watered, fed and weeded too. Neglected plants look worse than no plants.

Put your coat away

Make your hall look spacious by simply putting virtually all coats (and scarves and bags) away upstairs and not have the coat rack overstuffed with coats!

Kerb Appeal

What is kerb appeal?

This is the impression you get from driving past a house. Does it look nice? Does it look tired and tatty?

If you go past houses on your street which looks the best?

Does the one with neat hedges look better than the one with unkept hedges?
Does the one with hanging baskets look better than the one with the unpainted gutters and window frames?
Does the one with sparkly windows look better than the one with a boarded up window?
Does the one with a nice neat swing playset in the garden look better than the one with a clapped out old car on the drive?


Next time you're outside have a look at your house and your neighbours house. Sometimes it's not your house or garden that's the problem. For getting a sale sometimes you have to go above and beyond and although I wouldn't suggest painting the neighbours house, you might consider giving them a one off hand with their garden!
If your house is next to a scruffy one this will impact on your house sale. Ask the neighbour if they'll give their garden a spring clean - be polite and nice though - explain you're looking at moving and you think it'd help. Offer to trim hedges or weed their garden! An hours work might pay handsomely on your house sale.

Clean the windows and make sure the outside of your home is well maintained. Get some planters or hanging baskets (You can take them with you!) and make the outside of your house more attractive.

Move refuse bins to the rear of the property, or build a binstore to hide them. Although we all have to deal with our rubbish people don't want to see 4 big bins stood outside their potential new home! Even if you always leave them at the front - stop doing this until your house is sold!

Weed paths and jetwash if they're looking tired. Adding gravel to top up a drive or bark to flower beds can change the look of a garden and hide a multitude or sins.

If you've got a drive then how many cars can you park on it? Make sure you have a dropped kerb though as local authorities are very strict on you having one! Keep the drive clear and weed free!

definition of kerb appeal - how nice a house looks as you go past.

Sometimes a quick walk round your local area gives you ideas and inspiration for making your own house look nicer!

Hints and tips on selling your house

When you have trouble selling your house you need to have all the help you can get.

We aim to list all the tips possible for helping you sell your house quickly.

Our advice is always given in good faith and you should take professional advice before undergoing any building work, or investing further in your property in order to sell it.