Let's face it, street appeal to some extent is subjective. It's a phrase that's endlessly used to encourage sellers to spend dollars to make their property more appealing to potential buyers and induce them to walk in the door.
There are even studies showing the scary numbers of buyers who will pull up at the kerb, take one look, and drive off again if they don't like what they see.
As a Developer, rocking up to a site and seeing a cleared, level block with no bus stop out the front is going to have you jumping with joy.
But if you're going to develop the site and build some type of dwelling/s on it, it's the eventual Buyers you need to be thinking about. And that's where street appeal counts.
Although in property circles it's called street appeal, it's probably easier to think of it in terms of making a good first impression. When someone drives by, do they see a property which welcomes them? Or one that makes them go "Yuk!" and drive on.
Location
If you already have a site, this factor might be a case of "too late"! But keep it in mind for next time around. For those still on the hunt for a site, the old chestnut "location, location, location" holds true.
Another popular saying about location, particularly for renovators, is to buy the worst house in the best street. How do those two sayings affect you as a Developer? Partially the location element is to choose a good area in general. An area where people want to live because it has good amenities, shops, transport, schools and more.
And once you've found that good area, buy in a good street. Chances are you might well be buying the worst house, because it's cheap and you're only going to knock it down anyway, so that's fairly straightforward. But don't make the mistake of buying a bad house in a BAD street, just because it's cheap or derelict. Because guess what - no matter how nice your development might be, if it's located in a street where lots of meth manufacturing bikie gangs live in houses that look awful and haven't had their lawns mowed in years, your sales values will be lousy. Okay, so maybe that example was a little over the top, but hopefully I made my point!
Site Specific
Assuming you have a site that's in a good street in a nice area, it's up to you to incorporate elements of street appeal in your own development. You want buyers to drive up and say "Wow - it looks great!"
When broken down to basics, street appeal is all about creating a look that welcomes buyers to the home even before they've pulled up at the kerb. Consider the houses that surround your development. While your Architect might have a passion for creating modernistic cube-like buildings, if your development is in a very conservative street with heritage houses on either side, it's going to stick out like a sore thumb. And on a side note, the Council will probably hate it and give you a hard time.
Don't get me wrong - some buyers will still like it and maybe even enjoy being a rebel, but most people are moving into the area because they like it the way it is. Which means spending time with your Architect to ensure the overall design of the dwellings is at least in sympathy with what's around it, even if it's not identical. Look at using similar colours and materials to help the buildings complement their surroundings.
As a Developer, you probably did your best to get rid of all the trees on site. But if it's possible to retain one or two established trees at the front, it's worth doing. It takes years for trees to grow, but once they do, they add a lot to street appeal. If you don't have any existing trees, consider planting one or two big trees as part of your landscaping. It's no coincidence that "leafy" suburbs are often some of the most expensive in cities.
Next up are the front boundary and letterbox. If you have a fence, make sure it's well-built and in tune with the dwellings behind it. A cheerful picket fence might appeal to you, but it's going to look out of character with an ultra-modern townhouse. The same goes for letterboxes. For example, are you building rendered townhouses? Consider a matching rendered block to house the letterboxes.
Hopefully by now the potential buyers are parked out front, and are almost begging to come inside! This is where your front door becomes really important. The front door needs to say "welcome to our home!" loud and clear, so make sure it's visible. A front path leading directly to the entrance is great for drawing the eye where you want it to go. If you have a porch or portico area, make sure the door is still easy to see. You don't want a dark door disappearing into the shadows, for instance.
You've probably already gone to the trouble of landscaping the front garden area, but spare some thought for the bins. If they need to be stored anywhere in this front space, then make sure they're screened by plants or screens, rather than glaringly obvious from the kerb. Remember, they may be necessary, but nobody wants to see them.
So there you have it - the elements you need in your development to make a good first impression. Resale values are vital to your profitability, so make sure you put street appeal high on your list of things to incorporate into your development.
There are even studies showing the scary numbers of buyers who will pull up at the kerb, take one look, and drive off again if they don't like what they see.
As a Developer, rocking up to a site and seeing a cleared, level block with no bus stop out the front is going to have you jumping with joy.
But if you're going to develop the site and build some type of dwelling/s on it, it's the eventual Buyers you need to be thinking about. And that's where street appeal counts.
Although in property circles it's called street appeal, it's probably easier to think of it in terms of making a good first impression. When someone drives by, do they see a property which welcomes them? Or one that makes them go "Yuk!" and drive on.
Location
If you already have a site, this factor might be a case of "too late"! But keep it in mind for next time around. For those still on the hunt for a site, the old chestnut "location, location, location" holds true.
Another popular saying about location, particularly for renovators, is to buy the worst house in the best street. How do those two sayings affect you as a Developer? Partially the location element is to choose a good area in general. An area where people want to live because it has good amenities, shops, transport, schools and more.
And once you've found that good area, buy in a good street. Chances are you might well be buying the worst house, because it's cheap and you're only going to knock it down anyway, so that's fairly straightforward. But don't make the mistake of buying a bad house in a BAD street, just because it's cheap or derelict. Because guess what - no matter how nice your development might be, if it's located in a street where lots of meth manufacturing bikie gangs live in houses that look awful and haven't had their lawns mowed in years, your sales values will be lousy. Okay, so maybe that example was a little over the top, but hopefully I made my point!
Site Specific
Assuming you have a site that's in a good street in a nice area, it's up to you to incorporate elements of street appeal in your own development. You want buyers to drive up and say "Wow - it looks great!"
When broken down to basics, street appeal is all about creating a look that welcomes buyers to the home even before they've pulled up at the kerb. Consider the houses that surround your development. While your Architect might have a passion for creating modernistic cube-like buildings, if your development is in a very conservative street with heritage houses on either side, it's going to stick out like a sore thumb. And on a side note, the Council will probably hate it and give you a hard time.
Don't get me wrong - some buyers will still like it and maybe even enjoy being a rebel, but most people are moving into the area because they like it the way it is. Which means spending time with your Architect to ensure the overall design of the dwellings is at least in sympathy with what's around it, even if it's not identical. Look at using similar colours and materials to help the buildings complement their surroundings.
As a Developer, you probably did your best to get rid of all the trees on site. But if it's possible to retain one or two established trees at the front, it's worth doing. It takes years for trees to grow, but once they do, they add a lot to street appeal. If you don't have any existing trees, consider planting one or two big trees as part of your landscaping. It's no coincidence that "leafy" suburbs are often some of the most expensive in cities.
Next up are the front boundary and letterbox. If you have a fence, make sure it's well-built and in tune with the dwellings behind it. A cheerful picket fence might appeal to you, but it's going to look out of character with an ultra-modern townhouse. The same goes for letterboxes. For example, are you building rendered townhouses? Consider a matching rendered block to house the letterboxes.
Hopefully by now the potential buyers are parked out front, and are almost begging to come inside! This is where your front door becomes really important. The front door needs to say "welcome to our home!" loud and clear, so make sure it's visible. A front path leading directly to the entrance is great for drawing the eye where you want it to go. If you have a porch or portico area, make sure the door is still easy to see. You don't want a dark door disappearing into the shadows, for instance.
You've probably already gone to the trouble of landscaping the front garden area, but spare some thought for the bins. If they need to be stored anywhere in this front space, then make sure they're screened by plants or screens, rather than glaringly obvious from the kerb. Remember, they may be necessary, but nobody wants to see them.
So there you have it - the elements you need in your development to make a good first impression. Resale values are vital to your profitability, so make sure you put street appeal high on your list of things to incorporate into your development.
