How to Give an Ugly House a Facelift
It’s easy to lose sight of your house’s flaws, especially when it’s your home. However, if you’re planning to sell, then potential buyers won’t be quite as forgiving, so help things along by freshening up your property – it doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
Look objectively at your house
Be honest – are the front windows peeling? Does the front door need replacing? Decide what the biggest blackspots are in your property and work on them first.
Start at the front
No-one really likes pebbledash, so paint it over with a neutral cream or light blue masonry paint. If you think your windows are small, fix shutters on either side to make them seem larger.
If you can’t afford a new front door, re-vamp your old one with new paint and new fittings. Polished chrome numbers, letterboxes and knockers are in right now and they don’t cost the earth.
Deal with damp
This is something you can’t ignore. If your walls or floors are damp they’ll smell and there’s no hiding it. Damp is a huge turn-off for buyers, so get in a professional and do a damp course.
Cover up your satellite dish
If you have a visible dish or wires running up your external walls, try to move them somewhere less obvious. These features are ugly and off-putting to viewers.
Facial scrub
If you can’t afford to repaint the outside of your property, then you could try a pressure-wash instead, as well as just repainting window frames. It could make a huge difference for minimal outlay.
Tidy the garden
Make it more inviting with some fast-growing blooms. Fix some trellises by the front door and choose a fast-growing creeper-type plant. If your garden path is a mess, lay down some gravel.
Tone it down indoors
When it comes to buying, people want a blank canvas. They don’t want to have to paint over your murals and – ahem – zany colour schemes. Neutral colours are boring, but they don’t need immediate work and buyers will always opt for the place that needs the least effort.
