This simple trick could add £55,000 to the value of your home
First impressions start as soon as prospective buyers arrive outside your property with a third of Brits willing to pay up to 25 per cent more for a home with particular features
HOMEOWNERS can add up to £55,000 to the value of their home without ploughing loads of money into their property, new research has found
First impressions start as soon as prospective buyers arrive outside your property, according to research carried out by Dulux Weathershield, with a third of Brits willing to pay up to 25 per cent more for a home with some particular features.
The research revealed that buyers would spend extra money for a house with so-called kerb appeal - a freshly painted front door and brickwork, a well-kept garden and clean windows.
A freshly painted home was shown to speed up the selling process, with 93 per cent of Brits admitting they were more likely to attend a viewing if the house’s exterior is well maintained.
Based on the average UK home costing £220,094, this means savvy Britons looking to sell their property stand to make a whopping £55,024 return if they ensure their house is spick and span throughout. In London that increases to £117,966.
Property expert Kate Faulkner said that in recent years homebuyers and renters moved from unconsciously to consciously judging the appearance of home exteriors
"It is becoming increasingly important to refine aesthetics even before the agent takes their photos to secure viewings and the best price,” she added.
In spite of this, the research found that on average, Brits have not refreshed the exterior of their house in over eight years, and over 20 per cent have left it idle for over 15 years.
Marianne Shillingford, creative director at Dulux Weathershield, said that with the average homeowner living in their property for more than 20 years many simply "forget" to maintain the property.
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TV star Sarah Beeny - who has fronted eight property programmes on British television and is the owner of online estate agent Tepilo - recently told to the Sun Online that simply sprucing up your garden and painting the exterior walls could add thousands of pounds to the value of your home.
She estimated that fresh paint could add up to a more modest 2 per cent in value to your home.
Home improvement that could add up value to your home
TV star Sarah Beeny knows a thing or two about property, and she claims that making certain improvements to a home can add up to 20 per cent to the value of a home.Here are her tips
- Add space: Spend £30,000 and add up to £44,000 in value
- Modernise your kitchen – spend £2,000 and add £11,00 in value
- Neaten up outside – spend £1,500 and add £4,400 in value
- Get painting – spend £100 and £4,400 in value
- Modernise your bathroom- spend £1,500 and add £6,600 in value
Assuming you’ll do all the painting yourself - meaning you’ll only need to pay for the tools and the paint - you could £4,400 in value for just a £100.
Lorraine Kelly recently spoke to The Sun Online to introduce her new homeware range and to give her exclusive tips to improve your home without breaking the bank.
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