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Outside details - Sarah Beeny, Tepilo

Outside details

It is true that buyers decide almost instantly whether they like a property or not and many make a buying decision based on their first impressions, so it is very important to give a off a good first impression. It need not take a great deal of money, just picking up the litter is a good start. Follow that with a bit of weeding and planting or a lick of paint to a tired-looking door and you will be well on your way to a significant improvement.

Beware of centrally-pivoting rooflights in loft rooms if you like sleeping in the dark. Blinds fit the window not the frame, and let in light as soon as you soon as you open the window. As attic spaces get extremely hot in the summer, this is a major design flaw. Fit a top-hinge rooflight instead.

Renovate rather than replace sash windows whenever you can. There are two-part fillers that can be used to rebuild rotten areas, or these rotten areas can be cut out and new wood scarfed into place.

Door entry buzzer panels look neat and unobtrusive fitted flush with the stonework and hide white plastic meter boxes if you can. Brown or faux-brick ones blend in with brick walls. They can also be hidden with a timber-board cover, or in some cases semi-buried. Failing that, conceal with planting.

If clay or slate roof tiles are missing, try to match them with reclaimed ones. If you can't find an exact match, take tiles from a hidden part of the roof to fill the gap, then lay the closest match tiles in the hidden spot.

Don't be afraid of colour on the outside of your house. Cream is not necessarily going to make it appealing - be a bit daring, but always consider the other properties in the street that your house stands next to and how it will fit with them.

Roofs
Although they are high up, roofs are noticeable. If yours looks like it is at the end of its life, it can send alarm signals to potential buyers. It's one of the most expensive repairs a purchaser can be saddled with so it makes sense to make sure it's in good shape before putting a property on the market. Don't worry about scraping off moss or lichen. Some people think it looks unsightly but it doesn't actually do any damage to the roof. In fact, the cleaning process is more likely to cause roofing problems than leaving it well alone. If you're selling a property 80 years old or more and the roof is showing signs of age, mortgage surveyors very often play safe and make useful comments, such as ‘at some point this roof will need replacing'. Of course, this is true of every roof in the country but, written down in a survey, it may hold up the sale. Personally, I'd always reroof a tired-looking roof in order to sell a property for a good price in a reasonable time, especially if you have nervous buyers.

Roof Warning Signs
1 Slipped, missing, cracked or broken slates or tiles: After a while nails rust and slates will tend to start slipping. You don't necessarily need a new roof as you can refit the fallen tiles/slates and hold in place with lead tingles/clips.

2 Worn lead flashing, soakers and valleys: These can wear thin and need replacing.

3 Worn pointing and flashing, especially around chimneys: This can be dangerous as the chimney will eventually collapse.

4 Sagging: This often occurs when slate is replaced with cheaper but heavier concrete or clay tiles and the original timbers are not strong enough to support them. The only solution to get the roof looking right again is to replace the whole structure including the timbers.

Leaky Roofs
Remember there is always a reason for a roof to be leaking as the water has to get in from somewhere. However, water may travel a distance from the source of water penetration to where it appears on the inside, so solving a leak can be time consuming and frustrating. Most slate and clay tile roofs leak very slightly anyway, but the water quickly evaporates. It only becomes a problem with very heavy downpours, where roof coverings are soaked for long periods of time and don't get chance to dry out. Most leaks occur because of cracked slates or tiles, or faults in the flashing. Once these have been located, they are relatively easy to repair. In most cases, there should be no need to replace the whole roof.

Sarah Beeny

Sarah Beeny is a Channel 4 television presenter on the popular Property Snakes and Ladders prime time show. As well as being a well established property mogul Sarah has now launched Tepilo.com, a site enabling you sell your property online without charge.

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