Nearly one in three Brits admitted they’ve felt embarrassed by how a neighbour’s home looked
UK households warned neighbours could be ‘wiping thousands’ off property value(Image: PA)
Households across the UK have been issued a warning that their neighbours could be “wiping thousands of pounds” off their property’s value.
36 per cent of buyers would be put off purchasing a property if a neighbouring home appeared poorly maintained, according to a new study by The Bespoke Sign House.
Indeed, nearly one in three Brits (32 per cent) admitted they’ve felt embarrassed by how a neighbour’s home looked.
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Chris Webb, founder of The Estate Agent Consultancy, said: “If the neighbours aren’t willing to look after their garden, people think they won’t look after anything else and that the problems will spill over.
“Parking is the same. If there are too many cars on the neighbour’s drive, buyers worry it will overflow into their space.”
Kristian Goodenough, co-founder of The Bespoke Sign House, added: “Buyers don’t just judge the house; they judge the street. A messy garden or rundown frontage next door raises red flags about noise, upkeep and future hassle.
“Even if the property itself is immaculate, doubts creep in and offers fall.”
She continued: “You can’t control how neighbours maintain their homes, but you can soften the visual impact.
“Keep your side of shared fences or hedges tidy, use planting or decorative screening to hide eyesores, and make your own frontage stand out positively.”
This is important, as more than a quarter of buyers (27 per cent) said they had instantly ruled out a property based on its exterior.
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