Creating simple but powerful street appeal

Ask any real estate agent and they’ll tell you -  if you want to sell your home, the first place you should spend money is tweaking your front façade.

It’s something you don’t tend to put too much thought into when you’re living in a home, where the insides are what matters most. Look and feel, style and function all reign supreme when you’re in daily life but if you’re thinking about selling, the outside is the ‘dressing’ that hints at what’s to come.

Carpenter Rory Wilkinson advises stepping back onto the street and taking a long, critical look at the outside of your home. Arm yourself with a notepad and write down everything you see that is a problem – for example, drooping eves, dishevelled gardens, tired paint, saggy fence and battered mailbox.

“Structural issues will obviously require more work but there are so many simple ways you can add value to the outside of your home. Just making that list and working through it, or hiring a carpenter for a few hours to re-hang things, repair or replace wood and make things tidy and well-maintained will make a big difference,” he explains.