Smart investors know that the value of properties is mostly in the location and the quality of the building work. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter a great deal about how real estate looks, so long as the foundations are solid and it’s in the right place. Pretty much everything to do with external appearance is cosmetic and cheap to fix, relative to the purchase price.
So with that in mind, how do you improve the exterior of your property to make it more attractive? What can you do to make an ugly shell handsome once more? Check out these ideas.
Replace The Roof Tiles
If the building has old roof tiles, it might be a good idea to replace them. Roofing materials tend to lose their lustre over time. They start life looking shiny and impressive, but as the years go by, organic compounds infiltrate them, and they begin to look mottled.
Replacing them is usually quite easy. Don’t try to do it yourself. Just get a quote from a roofing company to see how much it will cost to replace tiles with new ones.
So long as there aren’t any structural problems with the roofing, you shouldn’t wind up spending a fortune.
Improve The Cladding
Old 1970s-style cladding on commercial properties leaves a lot to be desired. To say that it’s unattractive is an understatement.
Fortunately, it is incredibly easy to improve. Start off by hiring independent scaffolding experts. Then get a contracting company to rip out the old cladding and fit the new.
You can also replace unattractive exteriors on residential properties too. Many people, for instance, like to replace their pebble-dash exteriors with something that makes their property look more attractive and last longer.
Swap Out The Front Door For A New One
One of the best ways to improve the exterior of your home is to replace the front door with something more attractive.
Changes to front doors tend to be among the cheapest for improving your property’s exteriors, but also have the highest impact.
The price of swapping out an old door for a new one costs around £1,250 ($1,500). But compared to some of the other investments you can make, that’s actually not very much money at all.
Focus on making the entryway as impressive as you can. It helps to set the tone for the rest of the property, even if the other features aren’t particularly impressive.
Improve Your Lawn Care
You’ll often find beautiful properties on the real estate market with awful landscaping. Builders will often commission architects to create stunning buildings but then completely ignore the importance of landscaping in creating charming places to live and work.
Improving your lawn care is a great way to radically improve your real estate and make it more valuable.
But what exactly is lawn care? And how should you implement it?
Essentially, lawn care is just a programme of improving the lawn that you apply throughout the year. Major horticultural organisations apply around six applications of fertiliser to the lawn every year to keep it looking green and fresh.
Remember, lawn care is inexpensive but the returns can be significant over time. A typical programme costs around £200 per year if you do it yourself, but it can increase the value of your property by around £2,000. If you’re not performing regular lawn care, it’s a good idea to start during the year you intend to sell your property.
Add Decking In Suitable Areas
When people are in the market for property, they will frequently imagine what it would be like to live there. And so adding a deck gives them another way of thinking about their move. Things like what it would be like to sit outside in the summer and enjoy the view of the garden, for instance (whether they intend to do that or not), run through their minds. And that can encourage them to pay more for the privilege of living in the property more than anything else.
Try adding decking at the rear of the property, either next to the property itself, or on a separate area easily accessible via garden paths.
Plant More Trees
Whether you own a commercial or residential property, planting more trees is one of the best ways to make it appear more attractive. Simply upping the greenery can have a profound visual effect and will often pay off massively in terms of property values.
Most people want to live and work in properties that feel natural and healthy. Endless concrete car parks and plazas can leave individuals feeling alienated and isolated from their environments. And that’s not a good thing, either when you’re trying to work or selling a property to a keen buyer.
Remember, trees are one of the best ways to add verticality to your outdoor environment. They help to frame gardens and exteriors, splitting your property off from others in the neighbourhood.
Planting trees sounds expensive, but if you take a long-term approach, it’s remarkably cheap. Start with saplings, put them in the soil, add a few stakes and you’re done.
Clean Up The Dirt
Property exteriors have a nasty habit of collecting vast quantities of dirt over time. Soil, dust and other debris make their way onto stone slabs and exterior brickwork, making the entire area less appealing.
There are several ways to clean up dirt, and most of them you can either DIY or hire professionals. The best tactic is to use a pressure washer, especially on your driveway. It doesn’t require any harmful cleaning chemicals and instead uses the power of water alone to scrub your paving stones clean.
The difference in the appearance of your exteriors can be quite remarkable. Paving stones look like they did when they were brand new.
You can also apply the same techniques to your brickwork and exterior facades. However, you’re better off using a contractor to do this as they have the tools and skills required to prevent your brickwork from becoming damp.
