Kerb appeal help desperately needed please!

[Mumwithbaggage]

We need to sell my late dad's house asap - long boring story but it's costing us far too much money. Trying to get away from the elderly looking image. The inside is being addressed but I am absolutely lacking inspiration when it comes to kerb appeal. It has zero right now. Great sized plot at the end of a cul-de-sac but the front is so dull. If I put pots by the front door it blocks garage access - maybe that doesn't matter for selling?? Any (cheap) bright ideas very gratefully received! I'm not going to the expense of resurfacing the drive. This is one of the eastate agent's rather rubbish pictures. Will be changing agents after we have updated it. Thank you!

Agree with the advice to weed the paths. I think a bench will look great. And if you can give the garage door a lick of paint it would look better. A hanging basket by the door would be good too.

Ive just looked at the listing. It’s definitely a doer upper rather than turn key condition. Its a shame you’ve ripped out the kitchen - the buyer will likely want a project that they can completely renovate so a new kitchen is a waste of money - you would have been better reducing the price by at least what you’re spending on the new kitchen.
I agree with PPs, it’s priced too high.

Great picture @Harveyballwanger

@Soontobe60 the kitchen had to be done. Like I said, it'll cost way way less than we're losing every month to get it sorted. I'm aware it might be a waste of money but it could make someone think they could actually live in the house for a while.

I reckon un-browning the garage door would be the first thing and make a big impact, then like everyone else, weeding including what look possibly self seeded shrubby things on the corners of the front elevation, add a couple of pots. Wouldn't bother with much else, it will sell at the right price, if that's all you can be bothered to do, .

I wouldn’t waste too much time or money doing up for sale. Ultimately it will make very little difference. Just get it up for sale, and at the right price it will sell.

What do you mean by ‘losing money’? Is there a mortgage or equity release on the property?

A friend of mine had her Dad’s house up for sale. It was in a bit of state so she spent a lot of money replastering walls, repainting and putting some new carpets in. It was just scratching the surface really. I think the expression is polishing a turd.

She still really struggled to sell it after that. Eventually she accepted a low offer from a developer. He proceeded to immediately rip everything out, take done walls etc and do a proper complete renovation.

All the money she spent was money down the drain. It didn’t help her sell it or increase the sale price, and it was all undone as soon as the developer took ownership.

I fear you’ll be in the same boat OP.

Can you not post the link @Mumwithbaggage ? I tried the pressing thing it doesn't do anything on my phone, and as half the thread has seen it now it seems a shame not to share it. We might have ideas on the inside, the price etc.

Definitely paint the garage door the brown is just boring and lost in the brickwork.

This is the only correct answer to your question, OP.

You have grass so I wouldn't put anything on the drive.

A power wash might help though... cleaning up the concrete can make a huge difference. You can buy a power washer for like £99 and could then keep it for other jobs or sell it afterwards.

also remove the plants growing on the wall by the paving slabs... I would instantly be looking into the risk of damp or root spread with a plant growing by the wall like that.

I’ve also found the listing. Stop any work you are doing, this is a doer upper for someone to knock about and make their own. It needs to have a bathroom and kitchen to be mortgageable, nothing more. Any money you spend will not raise the price you get. You need to be realistic about the asking price and how much flexibility there is in this.
A house in our road sold last year and it was a total state. The man had lived there for 60 years and never repaired anything. It went to a developer who didn’t need a mortgage but your is much better placed.

I would open the blinds and buy pot plant or vase of flowers or similar on the window ledge (if there is one). The closed blinds are a bit depressing.

Window boxes with bright coloured flowers, hanging baskets.
Power wash the driveway.
You can repaint the garage door if you want.

Yes, I would do exactly this.

I think the blank wall at the front with the three windows is a bit intimidating as it is now. I wonder if you could get someone to deliver some large plant pots with big trelisses attached with a climbers already grown right up them, to mask the blank wall between the windows?

Maybe a bit like one of these?
https://www.seagravenurseries.co.uk/other-products/pleached-on-trellis/pleached-fruit-trees/malus-evereste-crab-apple-espalier-ltd-quan-in-container-18m-stem-15m-high-x-12m-wide-pleached

It might be quicker to get a good garden centre to send a designer, and they could scope the place out and just show up with lots of suitable plants. Our local garden centre has a service where they do that. Or you could call a local garden designer. They would do that sort of work very quickly and easily for you.

Paint the garage door white to match the window frames.

Add some Spring flowers or a couple of potted bay trees between the windows and perhaps one beside the door.

Any pots of plants you put out at this time of year will quite possibly die. I wouldn’t bother til April at the earliest. Just a good weed and tidy is enough. It’s a good plot.

What about one of those planters with trellis up the back in between each of the windows?

Would break up the slab front look and you could take them once sold. Would also cover the older paving or make it less noticeable.

Or can they just take the pictures on an angle? It is not having the front door visible that makes it very plain looking.

The garage door is a rollover one in some odd material so won't paint. I do agree white would look better but my late dad was never one for sensible colour choices. Big tall plants in pots and some weeding I can do.

I don't want to go into why on a forum but I can assure you it's costing far far more than my salary every month. Am also paying for dc4's university accommodation so if a clean new kitchen and a bit of vinyl gets people in and looking it's worth spending.

If it’s costing you money then why are you spending even more money on it with the kitchen etc, and pricing it at a level which is too high (according to several posters on here.)

The only thing that will get people through this door and get it sold is to reduce the price to a sensible level.

You just need to lower the price, if it’s not selling it is always the price and a new door colour and a new bench isn’t going to do anything.