Estate agent, Benham and Reeves, has revealed which front door colours the nation find the most appealing when looking to buy a home, as a third of homebuyers admit it can influence their decision to view a property, while more than half will judge you as a person based on your front door.
The survey asked homebuyers to have purchased a property within the last six months, how influential they found the front door when first forming an impression of a property?
57% said it had an impact on their first impression of a property - 31% said it was a little influential, 21% said it was somewhat influential and 5% said it had a big impact. What’s more, a third said it could influence their decision to view, with 17% admitting they would view a home simply because they liked the front door, while 13% would steer clear of a home if they didn’t like it.
But it’s not just the property itself that a front door can help form an opinion on. 55% of homebuyers admitted to judging the person that owned a property based on the state of their front door.
So what should you watch out for when it comes to keeping your front door in tip-top condition?
Cracked or dirty glass was the biggest front door faux par for prospective homebuyers, ranking top of the list of things that will create a negative first impression. Cracked or peeling paint came second, followed by signs of previous damage or repair, leftover Halloween or Christmas decorations and a broken doorbell or knocker.
Reinforced locks or doors sent alarm bells ringing, while joke or offensive doormats, signs that read beware of the dog or kids and themed or musical doorbells were also likely to leave a bad taste with homebuyers.
In terms of colours, Red ranked as the least favourite amongst potential buyers, while yellow, pink, brown and orange are also out of fashion.
So how do you put your best foot forward when it comes to your front door?
Black is the nation’s favourite front door colour but for those who crave a little more colour, blue, white, grey and green also ranked within the top five colours likely to make a good first impression with the nation’s homebuyers.
Marc von Grundherr, Director of Benham and Reeves, commented: “Your front door can be incredibly influential in forming a good first impression as it’s the first feature a buyer will spend a brief period picking apart as they wait to enter your home. So it’s well worth spending a little time and money to make sure it looks its best as this will help set the tone for the rest of the viewing.
"Cracked windows, peeling paint, a broken doorbell, or a wilted Christmas wreath are not a good look, but even the colour of your front door can be influential.
"As with most things in the home, you can’t go wrong with a subtle, neutral black or blue and while you may have slightly more colourful tastes, it’s important to remember you are trying to sell and so anything too extravagant could be a potential put off.”
