Street Appeal - The 10 Second Street Beauty Contest

You have just 10 seconds to sell your home.  Seriously!  

Just like a job interview, the first 10 seconds are crucial for making an excellent first impression when selling your home. You have just that short snipet of time to impress a buyer and encourage them to look further. If not you risk losing their interest before they’ve even glanced at your Victorian mantelpieces or state-of-the-art chef’s kitchen.  Making the most of your home's street appeal will pay dividends, making sure it stands out in the 10 second street beauty contest will get you sold faster for a better price.

How do you know if you’ve got street appeal? Take a good, hard, objective, look!  To start with, head out the front door right now and face your house, first from across the road and then from right outside the gate. Take your camera and snap some photos.  

Be honest about what you see: does it look tidy and inviting, or a little worn and sloppy? How does your place compare with your neighbours’ houses? Try and see it all from a buyer’s perspective.  

If things are not quite up to scratch, don’t lose heart. There are a few quick fixes that can be done over a weekend - small things that could make all the difference to the number of phone calls, views, and offers you get.

Here are 5 ways to dramatically improve your street appeal:

1. Fix the fence

Only the Leaning Tower of Pisa can get away with being on an incline. Your fence should be standing up straight, with no gaps, and with a fresh coat of paint.

2. Have a manicure (the gardening kind)

Trim hedges, bushes, lawns and trees to reveal clean, straight lines and let some extra light into your property. Kill off any weeds. A few strategically-placed planters and hanging baskets of flowers will give your garden some extra class, as well (but don’t go overboard with the garden bling).

3. Polish your panes

Windows allow people to look both into and out of your house. Get one of those inside-out window treatments so they sparkle. You’ll also be letting in more light, which will make the interior look better too.

4. Up on the roof

How does your roof look from the street? Are there any tiles missing? When was the last time you cleaned out the guttering? If your open home falls on a rainy day, a flood of water pouring off the roof does not count as a ‘water feature’.

5. Please enter

It may sound obvious, but your entrance needs to be welcoming. It should say: “Come in! Take a look at the rest of the house, it’s even better inside!” A sad-looking door with peeling paint, and a pile of old boots and gardening gear leaning against a dirty stoop, say the opposite.

Add a fresh coat of paint to your front door, wash your steps and decks, and declutter your entrance. Hide your rubbish bins. Consider the state of your outdoor lighting too, as interested buyers may do their drive-by assessment after dark.

Voilà! The home is now ready to parade its stuff! Your front garden tells buyers that you care about your home, and that the property won’t need much (if any) work done after they take the keys.

A quick weekends work to improve the saleability of your home. How could you spend it more effectively than that?