After a seller decides to sell his home, one of the first areas he should evaluate is the landscaping in his yard. The yard is the first thing a buyer sees when he drives up to the home. If the yard does not have good curb appeal, this may be an immediate turn off. If the yard stands out, it will give the potential buyer a good feeling and greater desire to tour the property. Normally, it is not necessary for the seller to make a major overhaul of the yard. Simply, suggesting adding color and making the outside of the home appear more attractive. This can be done by adding flowers and plants that will enhance the property. There are lots of affordable options than can help improve your property. Also, visit with the staff at the nursery; they can usually give you suggestions for your situation. In addition, simply pruning or removing existing bushes and cutting back overgrown trees can make a major difference. Finally, sometimes making these yard improvements will divert people's attention from a less-desirable feature such as garbage cans. Do not overdue it, you want to have a well-maintained yard that does not appear to require major maintenance time for the potential buyer. By performing above type tasks, this will add value to your property.
John:
I couldn't agree more, but I must say I am biased. My husband, also named John, has been in the landscaping business since 1984. He has been to my listings to offer suggestions and believe it or not, most often, it is simple and inexpensive to "spruce up" one's lawn for curb appeal. In his mind, if the seller needs to just make sure that the lawn is green and fresh and above all, any dead plants are removed... In theory, removing a dead bush is the best thing to do even if it means leaving an empty space. Add a few fresh flowers in pots on the porch if possible, but just make things well kept and fresh.
Of course, in winter, there is perhaps less to show off, but if there is snow, it is imperative to clear it (and treat walkways for ice) as it is only the most motivated buyers that go out to see listings after a storm.
Husband John's website is www.johnshorblandscaping.com - serving the DC Metro area. Of course, proper maintenance of one's lawn on a regular basis by professionals (or by homeowners with green thumbs who enjoy gardening themselves) is always a great idea. For those fortunate to have a lawn/garden on their property, those folks in fact have (in season) another room or two in which to relax, grill, read a book, throw a ball, or entertain!
My friends are always making fun of me because my number one pet peeve is weeds or grass growing out of the curb and the street. I'm always out there making sure it's clean from the street to the house. I will pick up garbage that may be in front of either my house or the neighbor's house. Homeowners, at least where I live, cannot count on the township to keep the streets clean all of the time. Even though it may not be their garbage, I don't understand why any homeowner would leave it laying in front of their home.
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