A combination of two more Bank Holidays in lockdown and some summer weather could help home owners have their properties market ready for the end of the Coronavirus crisis. The Met Office is predicting temperatures in the mid-20s on Friday which commemorates the 75th anniversary of VE Day. With householders forced to stay at home, our experts at Fisher German urge those who had been thinking about moving, to get their properties in tip-top condition.
Alasdair Dunne, Head of Residential, believes the good weather, and the limited re-opening of DIY stores could bring record levels of home improvement.
“This is a dreadful time for the country both on a health and economic front, but there is no question that with everyone forced the stay at home to try to defeat Covid-19, there has been masses of gardening and home improvement underway as the queues at DIY stories proved last weekend. While I would not want to encourage anyone to undertake unnecessary journeys, these two Bank Holiday weekends in May will be a perfect time for home improvement.
“Many people have put their moving plans on hold, so this is the perfect time to make sure their properties are in tip-top condition so that they are market-ready for when lockdown is lifted. Not only will people have the time and the weather – many will also have a ready-made labour-force living at home with little to occupy them!”
Alasdair’s top tips for a May makeover include:
- Improve your “kerb appeal” by sorting front gardens, doing the weeding and having a general tidy up
- Check your front of house paintwork, and if needed give it a coat of paint – in a colour which suits the house
- Polish up or replace door furniture – you don’t want to lose any potential buyers from a poor first impression
- Shake down your chamois and give all your windows the once over and, if you are using a ladder (safely supervised!) why not check your guttering
- Check all your outside lighting is working, before you put the ladders away
- We are firmly in growing season, so make sure your hedges and shrubs are well trimmed and not overrunning your pathways
- Go the whole hog and sort out the garage – even to the extent that your car will manage to fit in!
He adds: “A great number of people are walking for their one hour of exercise a day and they will notice attractive and pleasing properties so you have a ready-made market for when you decide to go to market once we are out of the current situation.”
For home inspiration, follow our Captivating Properties page on Instagram @fisher_german.
