Articles and Advice

Landscaping Changes You Should Make Before Selling

Your exterior, and how much maintenance it needs, can affect your selling efforts. Here are some changes you should consider before selling.

When you're ready to sell your house, you know it's important to make repairs and spruce up your home's interior so that you can come closer to getting your asking price. But it's not just the interior that counts. You should also take a good hard look at the landscape and make a list of things that could be improved. A neat, well-maintained landscape that shows loving care will make an impression. There's just nothing like a well-tended expanse of green lawn, along with some eye-catching color in flower beds to lure the drive-bys into stopping and taking a closer look.

So what makes sense to repair, upgrade, or renovate in your landscaping?

The lawn
A well-maintained lawn is one of the best ways to boost your property's curb appeal. A rich expanse of cool green will communicate that your property has been well and lovingly cared for. It takes more than one season to create a nice lawn, so start in the spring, using pre-emergent to get rid of weeds. Follow up by planting sparse areas with sod or grass seed. Be sure to monitor for weeds, using spot herbicides as needed. Likewise, look for pest damage from grubs, chinch bugs, and other common pests. Make sure your lawn is well watered (about an inch of water a week); pay particular attention to watering new sod. Installing an irrigation system to keep the grass watered will be an attractive upgrade.
Flower beds
Creating flower beds, whether perennials or annuals, can help sell your home. Flower beds can go along the front of the house, around trees, or in front of shrub plantings, or as a berm in the middle of the yard, with a border of pavers or flashing to delineate the bed. Flower beds are a way to add color all during the growing season. Planting annuals, which you can change as the season progresses, are a quick way to get some color in your landscape. After planting, add mulch, both to retain moisture and suppress weeds, as well as to give the flower beds a finished look. Keep flower beds weed-free during the time you're trying to sell your home.
Trees and shrubs
Tidy up your trees and shrubs. You don't have to be a topiary artist, but do aim for trimming hedges into even, neat shapes. If trees are looking shaggy and limbs are sagging, hire a pro to trim them neatly. Make sure limbs are cut away from the roofline.
Special features
Ponds, waterfalls, and fancy planters can be beautiful but may not be that attractive to a prospective buyer. These features sometimes require considerable maintenance to keep in good repair, so prospective buyers may not find them appealing. Consider taking out any of these features that might detract from the overall picture of your home as a desirable place to live.
Decks and patios
While some outdoor features are not that appealing, a patio or deck can be very attractive to potential buyers. But make sure these features are in good shape. Start by cleaning them, and in the case of the deck, repainting if need be. The deck should also be of sound construction so that it feels steady. If it wobbles and obviously needs some repairs, bite the bullet and have it repaired. Clean patio slabs. There is a patio cleaning product specifically for this purpose.

Above all, make sure the exterior of your property is clean, weed free, and that plants, including the lawn, are neatly trimmed.

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Landscaping Changes You Should Make Before Selling

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