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When people first visit your home, what do they think? First impressions can be important for making guests feel welcome and for attracting buyers when selling your home. Here are just a few ways in which you can make your home leave a good first impression.
Make your front door stand out
A striking front door can make your home more inviting by drawing people’s eyes to the entrance. The door itself could be brightly coloured or it could contain decorative features. Alternatively, if you don’t want to splash out on a front door, you could consider adding some decorative features such as a wreath or a stylish welcome sign.
Tidy up the front of your home
Keeping the front of your home tidy will also help to make it more welcoming. This could include keeping your lawn neatly trimmed or making sure your driveway is clean of dirt and leaves. There are companies that you can hire to handle tasks such as hedge maintenance or driveway repair if these are also needed. On top of this, you should consider the front of the building – are the walls and windows clean? Keeping this all clean and tidy will make your home feel loved, creating a warmer impression on guests.
Add some flowers
Flowers are a great sign of cheeriness that could be worth decorating the front of your home with. Even if you don’t have a front lawn, you may still be able to use hanging baskets or even add flower boxes to windowsills. Consider brightly coloured flowers that contrast your home.
Add some outdoor lighting
Outdoor lighting can help to make your home more welcoming to guests after dark, whilst also deterring burglars who may be looking for a target where they can go undetected. There are various types of lighting that you can use. Solar lighting won’t cost you anything in energy bills and could create a nice gentle glow. For something a bit brighter, you could consider motion-sensing battery lights – these will only light up when motion is detected nearby so you won’t burn through batteries quickly.
Declutter the hallway
As well the front of your home, you may want to consider your hallway. This is the first glimpse of the inside of your home and is also important for guests’ first impressions. Many hallways are narrow and can be made worse by clutter such as piles of shoes. Try to keep this area clutter-free by neatly positioning footwear on a shoerack and keeping other items out of the hallway.