How to boost your home’s kerb appeal before selling: quick wins for your front and back garden..

Our clients often ask us how they can improve their home’s kerb appeal before selling. It’s a great question, as kerb appeal is extremely important. Luckily, there’s a simple answer: to improve your home’s kerb appeal before selling, start with the areas buyers see first: the front garden, driveway and entrance. Mow the lawn, weed paths and borders, cut back overgrown plants, sweep paving, hide bins and clear away clutter. You don’t need an expensive makeover. A tidy, well-maintained exterior can make your home feel more welcoming from the moment buyers see it online or arrive for a viewing.

When I think of how to explain the term kerb appeal, the TV sitcom Keeping Up Appearances pops into my mind. I know, I’m showing my age… While Hyacinth Bucket’s home was beautifully kept, with a clean driveway and a bay tree beside the smart front door, her sister Daisy’s home was the opposite – a broken down car abandoned on the driveway, a front door in need of TLC and a gate hanging off its hinges. You just knew the inside was going to be a mess too – and knew exactly which house you would prefer to live in.

First impressions really do matter when you’re selling your home. Long before potential buyers walk through the front door, they will have already formed an opinion from your online property photographs, then from the moment they arrive outside everything they see counts.

A tidy driveway, well-kept front garden and inviting entrance can make your home feel cared for and welcoming, while an overgrown lawn, overflowing bins or cluttered patio can immediately detract from an otherwise attractive property. The good news? You don’t need to spend a fortune on landscaping. A little time spent on some simple garden and driveway jobs can make a surprisingly big difference.

Here’s a handy checklist of quick and easy jobs that will boost your home’s kerb appeal:

Mow the lawn (if you have one) and tidy the edges
Cut back anything that’s obscuring windows, paths, gates or the front door – you need to reveal your home to potential buyers and ensure maximum light enters through the windows
Weed borders, paths and paving
Remove dead plants and replace anything that’s looking particularly worn out
Sweep the driveway and paths and use a pressure washer to clean them thoroughly – you’ll be amazed at the difference
Remove moss from paving where appropriate -moss that has filled spaces between paving slabs can give the impression the whole path may need replacing. Scoop it out and refill the gaps with sand
Clean the front door, door furniture, porch and doorbell
Make sure house numbers and signage are clean and easy to see
Hide wheelie bins if there’s a suitable discreet place to put them
Put away children’s toys, bikes, tools and gardening equipment
Remove cobwebs around the entrance
Clean windows and window frames
Give tired pots a clean-up and group them neatly – empty out any summer annuals and replant with winter pansies or cyclamen, both of which you can find now in your local garden centre or B&Q
Add one or two attractive containers by the entrance if it looks bare – it’s worth a small investment in filled containers as these, of course, you can take with you when you sell

Top tip: stand at the pavement and look at your house as though you’ve never seen it before. What catches your eye first? Is it something attractive or something that needs doing? If you’re still unsure, walk along your street and decide which houses are most attractive and how you might replicate this.

Don’t forget the driveway!

Your driveway is easy to overlook as there’s usually a car parked on it when you’re standing looking. When you have viewings planned, it’s best to park your cars elsewhere however, so buyers can see how easy it is to arrive at their potential new home.

Things to check:

Weeds: particularly around the edges and between paving.

Moss and grime: a dirty driveway can make the whole front of the property look less cared for. Here’s your chance for some more fun with the pressure washer.

Repairs: you don’t necessarily need to undertake expensive resurfacing, but obvious minor repairs should be considered – wobbly slabs, weed-filled gaps, etc.

The rear garden needs ‘kerb appeal’ too

The front garden makes the first impression. The rear garden helps buyers imagine living there. Everybody wants a low maintenance garden and, unless you’re Monty Don, if you look out onto a back garden that’s a bit of a pickle it will create a negative feeling.

The aim isn’t to create a show garden. It’s to make the garden look usable, manageable and inviting.

When you decide to put your house on the market, before the photographer comes, there are some basic steps you can take to create a garden view to tempt the buyers:

Cut the lawn and tidy the edges
Weed patios, paths and borders
Cut back overgrown shrubs
Remove dead foliage and plants
Sweep patios and decking and use that pressure washer again – trust me, it’s fun!
Clean garden furniture
Clear children’s toys and put them away. Consider, also – are there large garden toys (goal posts, swings, a trampoline) your children have grown out of? Now’s the time to sell or take to the tip
Put away hoses, tools and garden equipment
Tidy the shed – clear out stuff you haven’t used in ages. We all put things in the shed ‘just in case’. It’s time to be brutal and declutter!
Clear leaves and debris from corners
Clean the barbecue or outdoor kitchen if it is on display
Check fences and gates for obvious maintenance issues
Make sure the garden gets as much light as possible by cutting back anything unnecessarily blocking it

Stage your garden for buyers

You don’t necessarily need to plant anything. You are editing the garden so buyers can see its potential. Once it’s been thoroughly tidied, it’s time to show buyers just how they might live here, so if you’ve got a patio or seating area, make it look like somewhere they’d want to spend time.

A clean table and chairs, a few cushions, some healthy-looking pots and perhaps a lantern can help buyers visualise themselves using the space.

Your pre-viewing 15-minute garden routine

Once you’ve done the big clear-up, don’t let it slide while the house is on the market.

Before every viewing:

Quick mow if needed
Pull any obvious weeds
Sweep the path and patio
Put away toys and garden equipment
Tidy cushions and garden furniture
Empty bins
Pick up fallen leaves and branches
Check the front door and entrance are presentable
Park cars away from the house if possible

In summary: how to improve your garden before selling your home

Strong kerb appeal doesn’t have to mean an expensive garden makeover. Before putting your home on the market, focus on making the front garden, driveway and entrance clean, tidy and well maintained, as these are among the first things potential buyers see in property photographs and when they arrive for a viewing.

Mow lawns, weed paths and borders, sweep paving, cut back overgrown plants, tidy bins and remove visible clutter. In the rear garden, create a clean, usable and inviting outdoor space by tidying lawns, patios, borders, furniture, sheds and garden equipment. Once the initial clear-up is done, a quick 10 to 15-minute tidy before each viewing can keep the garden looking its best. The aim isn’t to create a show garden. It’s to help buyers see a well-cared-for home and imagine themselves living there.

Eddie – Friday 18th September 2026.