Has Your Garden Got Curb Appeal - When Home Staging Keep An Eye on Your Front Yard

• Rubbish & recycling bins.
• Sad looking pots and planters.
• Scraggy bare bits of earth.
• Litter strewn paths and flower beds.
• The kids toys and buggies.

• Is your front hedge tidy and neat, or can’t you even see into the front garden it is so overgrown?
• How about the boundary wall or fence? is it well maintained or is half of it creating an impromptu 'rockery' in the flower bed?
• What about the front gate, oiled and easy to use or fallen down and rusting nicely in the flowerbeds?
• What about the path leading up to the front door? Even and firm or is it like a 'funhouse' path...you're never quite sure which paver will rock, unexpectedly!
• How about the flower beds…Barren and bare or flourishing?
• Is it an obstacle course dodging the wheelie bin, recycle boxes and abandoned kids toys…mmmm nice way to greet those buyers!
• What about the gutters and down pipes, neat and tidy or sprouting a few plants in all the debris that’s built up?

• How does the front of the house look from the path, the windowsills, the paintwork the pointing? Is it flaking and dirty? Could the window sills do with a bit of TLC?
• What about the interior that you can see from outside, does it look welcoming or worrying?

There are lots of practicle ways of improving the Kerb appeal of your property.

Start with the practicals

Is there a clear path between the pavement and your front door? If not, what is in the way?

What needs to be there? If there is no other space for the dustbins/ wheelie bins/ recycling containers then can you create a specific area to the side of the path that will house these, often unsightly, containers. How about building a dedicated storage area in brick or wood to screen these containers?

Paths, Gates, Boundaries

Is it time to get the front area repaved? Does the drive need relaying? These are not the most exciting projects but they are very important if you want to maintain the value of your house.

Showing that these practical but still essential areas are well maintained will send a signal to your buyers that the overall maintenance of your house is good.

It's worth bringing in the professionals to do the work here. Laying a path is one thing but creating a solid and long lasting drive is dependant on using good quality materials, preparing the area thoroughly and using the correct machinery to carry the job out.

Paintwork, Windowsills, Down-pipes and Drains

Are these all looking well kept. make a plan of the work that needs doing and tackle one job a weekend over the dry spring and summer months. Check the guttering for a build up of vegetation, flush out the down pipes and clear the drains.

Check for rotting sills and bases of window frames. Catch rot early and treat it before you need to replace a whole window or frame.

Bikes? Toys? Buggies and Sports Stuff?

Do you need to store all of these on the doorstep? Perhaps you haven't used the bike for a few months. Could it go somewhere else? have the kids stopped playing football? Time to put it away until the new season.

Do you have room to build a simple storage seat or cupboard in your porch area? this could neatly house all those small but messy bits and pieces that often get left at the front door:

• Wellies & boots
• Dog toys and leads
• buggies and pushchairs
• toys and outdoor sports equipment.

Give the garden a good 'haircut', has that bush in the front become rather overgrown...it is probably blocking out light to your front garden and front room.