Quality turf adds to Kerb-Appeal

• The value of a property can increase by as much as 10 percent with a well-maintained lawn.

• Simple quick fixes can have a dramatic effect on prospective buyers’ first impressions.

• A neat and tidy house façade, gardens and lawns adds value – but don’t forget the nature strip.

Surveys suggest around half the potential buyers of a property would try to knock between 10 to 20 percent off a property’s asking price if it looked unappealing from the street. It is said that people typically take just 10 seconds to decide whether they like a property from the outside. The top turn-offs of a scruffy garden and unkempt lawn the easiest things that can be turned around.

Quick fixes that can have significant effect on first-impressions 

Kerb Appeal is the type of real-estate terminology that fits well with similar jargon – ‘Renovators Delight’, Fixer-Upper and the like. However, kerb-appeal is probably a more descriptive term than most. Literally meaning the appeal a property presents to potential buyers when viewed from the street.  And, according to a number of surveys there is a definite correlation between first-impressions and the perceived value of a property a by a prospective buyer.

The survey findings released from comparison website finder.com.au, suggests nine-out-of-ten Australians would offer below a property’s asking price if the exterior was not appealing. House hunters offer 17 percent, on-average, below the asking price, if dissatisfied with the property from the outside.

Survey results prove it

Corroborating these survey results was another study carried out for Barclays Mortgages in the UK. It found about 44 per cent of buyers would try to knock between 10 to 20 percent off a property’s asking price if it looked unappealing from the street. The survey of some 2,000 homeowners found people typically take just 10 seconds to decide whether they like a property from the outside. Top turn-offs include poorly-maintained appearance with a scruffy garden and unkempt lawn. These are the easiest things that can be addressed to turn things around.

Dressing-up the front yard before listing for sale . . . This home-owner added some creative kerb-appeal to their property with a landscaping and instant lawn-transformation recently.

What the experts suggest

Tips to come from the reports included a number of ‘quick-fixes’ that can have significant effect on first impressions:

• Attention to detail was a recurring theme. Touching-up any cracked or peeling paint around windows or fascias and sparkling-clean windows was high on the list.

• Sprucing up the garden was also seen as a priority with the majority leaning towards it looking neat-and- tidy.

• Pull out any weeds and refresh any mulch in garden beds and trim hedges, or untidy or overhanging trees or bushes. This is important for any that block the view of the home from the street.

• Appeal to the buyer’s sense of smell as this can enhance the prospective buyer’s walk-through experience. Adding some simple pot-plants with pleasant smelling flowers, like lavender, can make a significant difference.

• For homes with grass in the front yard, it is recommended to mow it at a higher setting so it looks neat and healthy.

• Using a lower setting can scalp the lawn and expose sections of dirt which give a dirty appearance.

• Of course the use of a lawn-colourant like Lawn Solutions Australia’s ColourGuard can create an instant- green to help present the property in the best light.

A little bit of effort can go a long way. Especially when it is the first thing potential buyers see.

For information on caring for your lawn visit our Lawn Care Page.