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When you’re selling your home, you may be considering what fixes you need to do and what you should leave for your eventual buyer to do themselves.

It’s always best to ensure your home is in tip-top condition before you put it on the market, but if there are lots of niggly jobs to do, you should prioritise those that will make the biggest positive impression on potential buyers.

In our experience, garden fences are often one of the things that sellers query, particularly if they are in poor condition.

To help you, in this article, we’ll explore four key things you should consider if you’re a seller, wondering, “Should I replace fences before selling a house?”

1. Where is the fence?

Let’s take it from the top! Firstly, where is your fence, and how visible is it? Is it hidden behind a shed and shrubbery? Or is it in your front garden and rather obvious to everyone passing?

While a fence in poor condition is likely to be noticed by a potential buyer during a viewing, it’s important to consider how obvious it is before deciding whether to repair it.

Take into account too that for security reasons, a broken fence in the back garden can be more of a concern than one at the front of the house.

2. What is the condition of the fence?

Be honest, how bad is the fence?

If it’s a back garden fence, is the entire fence falling apart? If it’s in the front garden, does it severely impact your kerb appeal?

Ask yourself how concerned you’d be with the fence if you were a viewer to your home.

3. Does it Impact Security?

This is an important aspect to consider. Does the broken fence make your property less secure? Does it make it easy for burglars to gain access to your back garden and, therefore your house?

A fence in poor repair at the front of the house may be less of a concern for potential buyers as a side or back garden fence will be – particularly if your property backs onto fields, a park or an alleyway.

4. Who is your target market?

• Is your property targeted at first-time buyers?
• Families?
• Property developers?
• Or someone looking for a fixer-upper?

Understanding your target market will help you determine whether it’s worth the upgrade to your fences or not.

For example, if your target market is property developers, someone looking for a fixer-upper, or even a first-time buyer, these buyers may upgrade things themselves.

However, if your target market is a family with children and pets, a back garden fence with holes in it could be a serious concern.

Get Expert Advice

At Warren Powell-Richards, we are your local property experts. If you’re thinking about selling your home and are currently preparing it for sale, our friendly team are happy to answer your questions and help you determine your target market. Pop into the offices or send us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to learn more.