Put on a good front
Make a fabulous first impression to win over buyers — with the help of these handy top tips
Sprucing up your home won’t just make it look smart and spring-like — it could help you to sell.
Even the flamboyant celebrity designer, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, has had to tone things down several notches in the £1.59 million cotswolds home he has been trying to sell for more than a year. So here’s how to lure in buyers and make a swift sale.
WINDOW DRESSING
Your windows need to look smart and cared for. Forget old-fashioned nets or fussy swag curtains, the look of the moment is shutters.
‘Wooden shutters can fit any shaped window, even circular or triangular,’ says property expert Sarah Beeny.
The Shutter Store (shutters.co.uk) has the most affordable shutters on the market, but you will need to measure and fit them your- self. Wider slats that allow in more light are popular, and while white is still a desirable finish, taupes, alabasters and greys are an appealing alternative.
A LICK OF PAINT
A coloured finish adds character to windows, doors and masonry. Window manufacturers will supply fully-finished windows in a range of colours including grey and sage green.
To make your home look instantly contemporary, even if it’s pebbledashed, paint it in sophisticated colours. Mylands (mylands.co.uk), which specialises in environmentally friendly exterior paints, recommends a soft grey palette.
‘ paint your front door in the charcoal- ish Mayfair dark, choose a soft dove grey such as Sloane Square for the masonry and a mid grey — Mid Wedgwood — for the windows,’ suggests dominic Mylands.
PLANT FOR SUCCESS
Just as fussy, overly patterned interiors are a turn-off for buyers, so, too, are chaotic gardens. Keep it simple and striking. don’t neglect the space around your door — a couple of pots with evergreen plants create a warm welcome.
Before you do a trolley dash around your garden centre, consider the advice of chelsea Flower Show garden designer Marcus Barnett
(marcus barnett.com).
‘ Be bold with your planting scheme but keep to a restrained palette of greens and whites — perhaps striking forms of Buxus
sempervirens mixed with white tulips like White Triumphator.
‘A single highlight colour can draw out subtle shades on the architecture of the house.’
IMPRESSIVE DOORS
Peeling paint and draughty gaps will not impress buyers. A wooden door with polished ironmongery is the biggest change you can make to the front of your home.
‘Traditional colours such as black, red and blue create a smart entrance, and look especially effective in high- shine gloss,’ according to dominic Mylands.
But if you want your house to look the height of ‘now’, Mylands suggests the robust Burlington Arcade — an almost turquoise blue shade tempered with grey.
As for door furniture, minimal ironmongery gives a clean outlook but the dominance of chrome is waning as brass and faded gold return.
PATH TO PERFECTION
don’T neglect any paths, walls or fences. Block brick paving along a path looks smart, while tiles add a chic look to contemporary homes and will enhance older properties.
if you are hankering after something more contemporary, Sarah Mcclement of original Style
(originalstyle.com) recommends going for a monochrome scheme.
‘We have noticed a shift towards simple black and white or grey patterns,’ she says.