Landscaping for Curb Appeal

Spring is here, and with it comes so does the opportunity to overhaul your front yard — not only for simple aesthetics, but also because an attractive and well-cared-for front yard acts like a gigantic welcome mat for homebuyers. If you are in the market to sell your home, your yard can contribute greatly to your home's curb appeal for these buyers.

You don't need to start with a major overhaul of your front yard. In fact, there are a lot of ways you can revise your lawn to spruce things up, and create a neat, inviting look that will turn buyer's heads and encourage them to knock on the door. If you are preparing to sell your home over the next few months, here are some things you'll want to do:

Start with some spring-cleaning. Start off by mowing, trimming, weeding, raking up leaves and generally giving your yard a solid overhaul to get it looking its best. Makes sure to edge the lawn and trim the perimeters of flower beds and borders around the trees and shrubs to give your yard a professional, manicured look.

Start planting. To further that professional look, take some time to add small plants and even larger items such as bushes and small trees from the home store to areas of your front that might seem a little sparse and in need of some coverage.

Refresh your flowerbeds. Plant brightly colored flowers in your newly cleaned flowerbeds to add some serious visual flash and generate interest in your home. Make sure the flowers you pick complement your home's color.

Make the most of limited space. If you don't have a lot of room in your front yard, you can still make an impact with a little creativity. Use window boxes, hanging planters, and pots to increase your opportunities to use flowers and eye-catching plants that will get buyers to look twice.

Create a tasteful focal point. You might have a sentimental attachment to your garden gnome or plastic flamingo, but if you're trying to sell your home, put your lawn decorations into storage and replace them with a single focal point for the lawn. This could be a sculpture, fountain or similar item that gives your yard a memorable signature look.

Create a dramatic entry with plants. Use plants to draw attention to your front door. An easy way to accomplish this is with flowerpots on either side of the front door. Consider some small trees that you can closely trim, or perhaps small trellises on either side that are covered in flowering vines. Like the flowers you might select for flowerbeds, make sure the colors compliment your home's exterior.

Clean up your concrete. While technically not landscaping, your driveway, walkways, stepping stones and similar features also need a little spring cleaning if you want to maximize your curb appeal. Make sure to clean up weeds poking between paving stones or sections of concrete, remove all dirt and grime, trim growth around paving stones, and clean up any oil stains or similar spots from the driveway or curb. Together with your cleaned up yard and other landscaping, your hard work will dramatically increase your home's curb appeal and keep it looking great all through spring.