Two thirds of buyers deterred if property lacks kerb appeal - survey

Kerb appeal is often cited as an important factor if agents and sellers want to impress buyers and now research suggests 60% of property viewers make their minds up within one minute of seeing the outside.

Analysis by landscaping brand Marshalls suggests planters, trees, driveways, front doors and bin storage all playing a key role in the decision making.

It helps that these are all products it helps supply but the research among 2,001 people across the UK found 68% would be put off wanting to buy or live in a property if there were big design flaws with the front garden that they didn’t like.

Looking at the features that appeal to prospective buyers, those supporting biodiversity top the bill. Planters, hanging baskets and real grass areas (21%), as well as trees (20%), wildlife gardens (17%), raised bedding areas (15%) and bird baths (14%) were the top responses, followed by new driveways (14%), bin storage (13%) and privacy screening (12%).

Almost half (43%) said they care more about the appearance of the front of their home now – including their garden, driveway and features like the front door – than two years ago. 

People’s top reasons for caring about their home’s kerb appeal include improving its appearance from the outside (44%) and improving its value (29%).

One in ten want to keep up with their neighbours, while others take inspiration from family and friends (20%), social media (15%) and magazines and TV shows (15%) on how to style the outside of their homes.

Ben Warren, managing director of landscape products at Marshalls, said: “This year has been slow for the property market, with many sellers finding it’s taking longer than usual to get interest in their homes. In a world where image is so important, it’s no surprise to find that kerb appeal has a huge impact on whether someone buys a property – and these findings prove just how influential is, with the outside of a home impacting a buyer’s decision within a matter of seconds.

“In recent years, we’ve seen a rise in social media trends focusing on the front of homes, with searches for ‘front garden’ on Pinterest increasing 35%. Driveways have also been in demand for some time, and with the rise in electric cars we suspect this will continue as people want to charge their vehicles safely and securely.”