There are some easy steps to take in order to make your yard more appealing to potential buyers. Ensuring that your yard looks its best can attract favorable buyer interest and entice them to your doorstep to check out the home’s interior spaces. Taking some time to ensure that your landscape looks and feels well-kept, welcoming and attractive can pay off in better offers from buyers. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.
Cut Back on Decorations
One of the biggest secrets top realtors use when selling a home is to cut back on any personalized decorations. The buyer needs to see themselves living in your home, and most outdoor decor items will reflect the style tastes of the current owner. Strive to keep your yard and lawn looking and feeling neutral without being cold.
Trim Vegetation
Most people already realize that their yards are the first thing people notice when passing their home. However, many are unaware that overgrown lawns can look sloppy and will decrease a home’s curbside-appeal factor instantly. It is wise to carefully trim vegetation in the yard and keep the grass cut to impress would-be buyers.
Remember to sweep up clippings for a tidy look that creates a tranquil atmosphere. Not only will keeping vegetation off and away from your structures improve your curb appeal, but it also extends the life of your garage or shed.
Shape Up Overgrown Hedges, Bushes, and Trees
It is important to shape up any of the landscape’s overgrown hedges and bushes to create a better outdoor aesthetic that will charm buyers on sight. Consider sculpting bushes and hedges into pleasing shapes that catch the eye. Trim back any overhanging tree branches near your home before potential buyers come to survey the property for the first time. Sprawling branches can damage the roof and invite more pests into the home. Taking this step will make your property more attractive to potential buyers.
Add Pops of Seasonal Color to the Landscape
One of the fastest and easiest ways to heighten that desired curb appeal is to plant seasonal flowers and plants throughout the landscape. These pops of color can dramatically improve the visual beauty of a backyard, side lawn or front yard area. Best of all, this trick is easy on the budget as well. Consider staggering the heights and sizes of the plants to provide some depth and texture to the overall lawn. If the lawn is on the smaller side, adding container pots with colorful blooms, herbs or other types of plants is simple to accomplish without requiring a lot of time or effort.
Consider Resurfacing or Creating Walkways, Paths, and Patios
Expert landscapers often add intriguing garden paths, enticing walkways and charming patio surfaces that help to draw in the visitor and lead them right up to the doorstep. Consider resurfacing or creating one or more enchanting outdoor walking areas to improve the overall outdoor design and give visitors a close-up view of the landscape’s best outdoor features. You could install a charming cobblestone walkway, a shaded rustic garden path or a backyard patio surface using natural stones that are prevalent in your region.
Upgrade or Add Fresh Mulch
Another simple method to improve a landscape fast is to upgrade or add fresh new mulch or other ground cover. Over time, mulch can be swept away by high winds, heavy rains or melted winter-snow runoffs. It is amazing how this one small chore can create so much visual interest. In addition, clean borders along driveways, front walkways, patios, and pools can give the entire landscaping a cohesive look and feel.
Consider using pebbles or natural stones that are native to your region to highlight your yard’s natural scenic wonders. Other ideas to consider include fragrant cedar wood chips, crushed gravel, sand edging or border fencing made of authentic woods, metals or a combination of fencing materials.
Spruce Up Porches, Entryways, and Patio Features
People trying to prepare their homes for an upcoming sale should also take some time to spruce up and prepare any outdoor porches, balconies, entryways, and patios. If your property has any attractive water or fire features, these areas should also be showcased and tidied up for potential buyer views. This could be as simple as cleaning up the usual family clutter or adding the proper lighting to enhance a firepit or waterfall patio feature.
Remember to envision what those buyers will see and plan accordingly. Comfortable seating areas surrounding a pool, water fountain or an outdoor fireplace are all small details that help to make the property irresistible to potential buyers. Add a fresh coat of paint to a tired-looking entryway door, porch railings or home exterior surfaces. New paint adds an instant boost to the home’s overall character that buyers will appreciate.
Fix Landscape Drainage Issues and Up Curbside Appeal
One of the most common mistakes that homeowners and realtors make when getting their property ready for an open house showing is neglecting to fix any outdoor drainage issues located on the landscaped grounds. If the property floods following a heavy rainstorm, there is likely to be rainwater runoff problems that should be remedied before putting the property up for sale. Look for water lines along the house or garage foundation walls that could indicate water damage potential to future buyers.
Along with repairing storm- and flood-related water-runoff issues, it helps to stand back and assess your landscape’s curbside appeal. Hiring a professional landscaper to provide an accurate evaluation of any possible landscape problems can give the property owner a realistic viewpoint and expert recommendations to fix these possible curbside-appeal detractors.
Take advantage of some of these practical solutions to common yard problems that might decrease potential buyer interest in your listed property. These helpful landscaping solutions can dramatically improve any home’s desired curbside appeal substantially and will ensure that you get the best pictures possible of your property. Any photographs or videos taken to list and market the property should be done after the landscape is properly prepared for best results. Remember to use appropriate landscape staging before taking pictures that could make or break any potential property deals.