If you're selling your home, first impressions start at the kerb — and they matter. Buyers often form an opinion before they’ve even stepped inside, making your exterior just as important as what’s within.
Even well-presented homes can be let down by small, easy-to-miss details. With expert insight, we reveal the most common kerb appeal mistakes that can quietly chip away at your home’s value — and the simple fixes that can help it stand out for all the right reasons.
1. Standing out from the crowd – too much
It’s important for your home to have its own personality, but no-one wants to have that house that stands out from the crowd for all the wrong reasons. Painting the exterior bright pink when your neighbours are all about subtle neutral hues, or going for a shiny grey and white uber-contemporary colour scheme in a row of period properties will be off-putting to buyers who just want to fit into the neighbourhood.
Instead:
'Paint colour is where kerb appeal is won or lost,' says Sebastian Hipwood, co-founder of upscale estate agents Blue Book Agency. 'The trick is to read the street before you reach for a brush. If you are in a row of white or cream houses, you can still stand out, but it needs to feel considered. Soft tones like sage green, pale blue or a gentle pink will work because they will sit comfortably alongside their neighbours.'
2. Opting for door colours that are too bold
Painting your front door a vivid primary colour – pillar box red, royal blue or sunny yellow – might seem like a good move to attract attention. But while these popular choices, as well as classic shiny black, won’t put prospective buyers off, tapping into more on-trend shades will freshen up the front of your home and add that extra dash of style savvy.
Instead:
Lean towards 'more nuanced, nature-led tones, sun-baked terracottas (Clay Pot), mossy olives (Overtly Olive) and smoky blues (Mellow Flow)', says Marianne Shillingford, creative director and colour expert at Dulux: 'These shades carry a quiet richness, feeling grounding, welcoming and full of understated character.'
If you do want to go bolder, Marianne recommends 'fresh, uplifting blues such as Stonewashed Blue to bring energy and optimism to any front door'.
3. Choosing mismatched shades
The front of your house should present a coordinated, coherent look. This means keeping to the same neutral palette for window frames, woodwork and other features. These neutrals should form the quiet foundation of your home’s exterior; subtle, soft and sophisticated, without ugly clashes. For example, having brown window frames, a grey door surround and black windowsills will look mismatched and distract the eye.
Instead:
'Modern neutrals work best when they’re in tune with their surroundings – not just in colour, but also in feeling,' says Marianne. 'Start by looking at undertones. Earthier neutrals like taupe or olive-based greiges sit beautifully with brick, stone or warmer palettes, while cooler greys and smoky tones feel more at home with contemporary finishes. The goal is to layer within a similar tonal family, so everything feels connected rather than contrasted.'
4. Installing fake grass
Touted as a ‘quick fix’ for small outdoor spaces – including front gardens – fake grass, also known as artificial turf, is bad for the environment as it contains microplastics. It offers no source of food for wildlife and soil-based creatures such as worms. In high temperatures it can become unbearably hot, so can be dangerous for children and pets. And without careful maintenance, fake grass can soon look battered, ruining the kerb appeal of your home.
Instead:
If you’re keen to keep a small lawn, choosing the right seed mix is key, says Amber Tunney, horticultural specialist at Cherry Lane Garden Centres: 'A hardwearing mix like ryegrass blend is ideal for durability, while fine fescue mixes offer a softer, more low-maintenance finish.'
Garden designer Joanna Archer has used wildflower turfs and seed kits with great success in front gardens, including her own, where she’s created a show-stopper with Meadow in My Garden's ‘Tree Foot Mix’, which includes cottage garden favourites that will grow in dappled shade. For a shade- and drought-tolerant native wildflower and grasses turf, she recommends Landscape 34 from Wildflower Co.
5. Sub-par planting
Front gardens should draw people in, but these are usually small spaces, so planting needs careful focus and ongoing maintenance. Your front garden scheme should have impact, structure, year-round appeal, and for the ultimate welcome, scent. However, too often front gardens end up straggly and overgrown, with no clear design plan.
Instead:
'Evergreen shrubs such as box and hebe are great for creating a strong foundation, providing shape and colour throughout the seasons and needing minimal upkeep,' says Amber.
It’s good to pair these with hardy, low-maintenance plants such as lavender and ornamental grasses, repeating the same plants throughout the space to achieve a cohesive, polished look. 'Defined borders, clear pathways and low-growing plants near entrances will instantly make the space feel more welcoming and well-maintained,' adds Amber.
For instant kerb appeal and creating low-maintenance seasonal interest, height and privacy, Joanna recommends adding a modest tree: 'Blossom lovers with a small front garden could try Prunus ‘Little Pink Perfection’ – ideal in a sunny garden on most types of soil.'
6. Too-bright lighting
As well as annoying your neighbours, lighting that’s far too bright can dazzle motorists – off-putting for any potential buyers doing a sneaky drive-by. And, although LED lighting is energy efficient, using enough power to illuminate a football pitch will add to your electricity bill – not a good move if buyers are keen to establish a home’s running costs before they decide to put in an offer.
Instead:
Focus your lighting ambitions around the front door. A set of matching wall lights either side is a great way to enhance kerb appeal.
'This is especially important if you're putting your home on the market in winter or will have viewings in the evening when it’s getting dark,' say the experts at property portal Zoopla.
Motion-sensor lights – which only turn on when people approach – are a sensible addition too, creating a welcoming ambience without blinding anyone. And if you want to highlight specific front garden features, such as sculptural plants, but without the fuss and expense of electrics, opt for solar-powered LED lights.
7. Having bins on show
Nothing looks worse than an overflowing collection of battered wheelie bins at the front of a house. They’re so off-putting to would-be buyers, who will automatically think 'rats' and 'smells'. Ideally, all bins would live elsewhere and only be brought forward for collection day – but this isn’t always possible. Most of us are juggling at least three or four bins in varying clashing colours these days, so a serious solution needs to be found.
Instead:
If they must live at the front of the house, find a sensible, unobtrusive location to hide your wheelie bins as far from sight as possible. If there’s space, invest in a bin store. If space is tight, large wheelie bin stickers could make things look better –they are a cheap and cheerful way to disguise the horrid plastic.
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The Kerb Appeal Edit
Primrose Gunmetal Black Galvanised Zinc Rectangular Garden Planter
Long Ornate Iron Black Rubber Entrance Doormat
