Increasing your kerb appeal: What's behind the teal door?
Residential
When we imagine winter, we think rain, cold, and dreary overcast skies. We picture a house hunkered down for the duration waiting for spring, surrounded by grey mist, grey skies and bare trees.
This unappealing picture lacks colour, vibrancy and light, and it’s these things that will help the savvy seller create the right mood and become a beacon for home buyers. In a sea of grey, your house will shine!
The number one rule if you’re selling in winter is to be bold with colour and light. These two things alone will increase your kerb appeal and add a glow to your house that will be irresistible to a buyer.
Let’s start with your front door. Try adding a splash of colour to your porch by changing the colour of your door, if the style of your home lends itself to this. Virtually any bold colour will work well, particularly red or teal. If these colours don't work with your style, simply add a coat of white paint for a crisp, fresh look! The colour scheme can then be sprinkled through your front garden up to your front gate, unifying the look and feel of your property. Consider installing or upgrading a light over your front porch that is deliberately a welcoming white light to brighten the space. Security lights don’t cut the mustard when it comes to setting the scene.
Your front porch is where the buyer’s eye will naturally end up and you want this space to be bold yet welcoming. Try grouping some plants (3 or 5 work well) and add in a bit of colour with succulents. Not only are succulents easy to maintain, they also provide a welcoming, natural colour tone that lends itself to any colour scheme. Make sure all pots are clean and shining, and dirt is cleaned away from the porch or deck area.
Don’t overlook you front fence and letterbox as it sets the scene and forms part of that all-important first impression. Is it tired and a bit shabby? Or is it bright and loved? A repaint of your fence and gate will do wonders for freshening up your kerb appeal.
A simple pop of colour can be extended throughout your garden in different ways – with lighting, garden furniture, coloured pots, and with art. A bold teal door can be complemented with white potted flowers and perhaps a crisp white letterbox. Colourful splashes of artwork in your garden and outdoor cushions add interest and warmth in winter. And remember, you can always take these with you to your next property, so it’s a great investment.
Lighting and a pop of colour go hand in hand.
Lights down your pathway can make a drab entrance-way glow and again leads the eye up to the front of the house. Electric lights are more effective in winter as you can turn them on and off at will and you’re not relying just on solar powered lighting, for open homes during the daytime. You can also buy lights and lanterns that run off batteries that can be artfully placed amongst shrubbery and along your driveway to create light and interest and to add a bit of romance.
Stand outside your house on the sidewalk and play around with a few lighting ideas until you get the look you’re striving for.
Fairy lights are inexpensive and will complement any additional lighting you have in your front yard and without overdoing it, will help unify your colour and lighting scheme. Try placing fairy lights in a tree, or around logs in an outdoor fire-pit, or around a garden seat which has plump cushions and fresh flowers in a vase nearby.
Other simple ways to increase your kerb appeal in winter include:
- Tidy the edges of your lawn
- Mow your lawns
- Add a layer of mulch to your gardens
- Add a lick of paint to the house exterior and fences
- Buy a new front door mat
- Upgrade old and rusted light fittings
With a bit of ingenuity and playfulness you can create a house with kerb appeal that will entice buyers like bees to an irresistible flower.
