Curb appeal is king when you’re selling your house. The first thing homebuyers notice is the exterior, even if they’ve seen pictures of the inside. Standing in front of the house is drastically different from seeing photos on a screen. Therefore, it makes sense to spruce your home up and make it look its best. You want potential buyers to be as impressed with the real thing as they are with the images.
Thankfully, landscaping for a real estate sale isn’t much different than doing regular lawn maintenance. Here are some ways to improve your landscaping skills.
1. Add Mulch to Your Lawn
Mulch feeds your plants and helps them grow, and it does you an extra favor of keeping weeds away. Mulching your vegetation well before selling your home will have them looking luxurious and weed-free in time for staging.
Choose the organic kind for a homespun appearance or go with inorganic if you’d rather not have wood chips in your yard. Keep in mind that natural types, such as grass clippings and straw, provide more heat insulation and moisture retention than artificial mulch.
2. Trim Trees and Bushes
Trees and shrubs with dead branches send a message that you don’t care for the lawn. Homebuyers may assume the rest of the house is the same way, which doesn’t make a great first impression. Change their perspectives by trimming away any dying limbs and removing rotted vegetation.
Many gardeners and landscapers follow the one-third rule when pruning their shrubs. This guideline helps them cut the diseased limbs and just enough of the healthy wood to encourage growth.
3. Powerwash the Exteriors
Give your home’s exterior a good cleaning by washing away all the built-up grime. Hit the walls, driveway and walkways, and don’t forget your deck or porch. Years of dirt build up on your house if you don’t clean it regularly, diminishing its original shine and newness. Bring that luster back by hosing it down. Power washers output gallons of water at high speeds, so consider hiring a professional to avoid injuring yourself or others.
Most landscaping companies will do powerwashing and any other landscaping jobs you need. When looking for businesses, make your selection based on how well they respect your time and demonstrate expertise in the services you need. Every task requires a different amount of time, and most landscaping mistakes stem from underestimating the hours. Someone who operates on your schedule and needs will do a better job.
4. Plant New Flowers
Experiment with color and add flowers to your front lawn if you don’t already have some. Use seasonal hues around your exterior for a cheerful, welcoming quality. You could plant flowers and bushes leading up to the porch to create a makeshift walkway.
This technique emphasizes your front door and porch — so spruce them up if necessary. A fresh coat of paint on a door can go a long way.
Year-round blooms bring a touch of color, no matter what season it is. Many of them are also low maintenance, giving you more time to handle other yard concerns.
5. Upgrade the Outdoor Lighting
Outdoor lighting can be a big deal for homeowners. People often leave at the house at night — especially those with late shifts — and they want quality lights to illuminate their path.
Some homebuyers will swing by your staging in the evening or nighttime because of their work schedules. Show them your house has great lighting by keeping the fixtures polished and changing the bulbs whenever they dim or go out.
6. Clean up the Edging
Lush grass makes your house look spectacular, but it’s no good if it grows over the sides of your driveway and makes a tangled mess. Use an edger to clean up any walking paths and paved areas.
Go the extra mile by laying down an attractive border — it’ll offer functional value while coordinating with your home’s aesthetic. Some ideas include stones, bricks, wooden frames or even woven branches.
Enhance Your Lawn for a Perfect Staging
Your home will be bold, beautiful and ready for sale after you do some basic landscaping. Doing the job yourself is a labor of love, but you can always hire a company if you don’t have enough time. Whether you start a DIY project or hire help, your place is sure to look near-flawless and highly marketable.
Article submitted by: Holly Welles, Real Estate Writer, The Estate Update