We asked experienced estate agent and owner of Cheshire and Co, Gareth Cheshire, his views on whether a property’s kerb appeal is, or should be, a factor if you are buying a new house or getting ready to sell your home.
‘Is beauty only skin deep?
Now there’s a question! Over the years, and during many hours of TV property programmes, many of which I have appeared in myself, property presentation has become a hot topic.
The well-worn phrase ‘Kerb Appeal’ is one that is used over and over and it is relevant but to what degree? In my long and illustrious career, I have only once pulled up outside a house and refused to go inside. On many occasions I have gone inside based on what I have seen at the front and wished I had not due to things ranging from abject filth to the deceased vendor being sat in the front room. Or indeed the making of a movie of the ‘adult’ variety.
Judge a book by it’s cover
Never judge a book by its cover we are told, yet publishers spend millions on the design and presentation of the covers of books whether they are or become best sellers or not. The cover does not change what is inside and many a time I have given up on a beautifully packaged book because the contents were rubbish. So, does this theory apply to the property market? Well a well-kept front lawn and white washed walls will of course help but that will soon become forgotten when the dry rot, damp and subsidence rear their ugly heads.
Location, location, location
What I believe to be more important to remember is this, the right house in the right place at the right price will sell no matter what the front looks like. My favourite saying is this “buy the worst house in the best street and not the-other way around”. No matter how well presented the house is if it is between the abattoir and fire station (yes I have sold one of those) it will be harder to shift than that rambling over grown property set in the towns most desirable post code’.
Contact us
Gareth can be contacted, during office hours, on 01633 869 086.
