Research reveals the importance of a front door for those buying a new home

Lettings and estate agent Benham and Reeves asked homebuyers who have purchased a property within the last six months how influential they found the front door when 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’.

One third of respondents 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 not be interested in a home if they didn’t like the front door.

55% of homebuyers admitted to judging the person that owned a property based on the state of their front door.

Cracked or dirty glass was the biggest issue 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 are also turnoffs for some homebuyers.

In terms of colours, red ranked as the least favourite amongst potential buyers. Yellow, pink, brown, and orange are also out of fashion.

Black appears to be the nation’s favourite front door colour. Blue, white, grey and green also ranked within the top five colours likely to make a good first impression with homebuyers.

Marc von Grundherr, Director of Benham and Reeves, comments: “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.”