Open the gates to a wonderful home for your buyer clients! A gorgeous entry gate can be a beautiful bonus for your new home owners. Does their ideal dream home include a “white picket fence” in the front yard? Get familiar with fence materials and find out about styles so you can find the perfect home for your buyers. Fences are frequently used to define property boundaries (even though land surveys show they are often placed incorrectly). Fences also protect gardens, keep dogs or horses enclosed, ensure swimming pool safety, scare intruders away, and beautify a yard. In an MLS listing, you may see a “good neighbor fence” in a tract home or “cross fencing” out in the country. We often see retaining walls terracing a hillside. And if you’ve been out on a ranch, you’ve probably seen cattle gates in conjunction with cattle guards – metal grids across the road designed to prevent cows from crossing.
A gate is simply an entryway in a fence, or a swinging door that opens into a yard. Gates are made from the same materials as fences, and installed with hinges or an opening mechanism. It can be adorned with fancy pillars or hand-carved posts. A Hampshire gate is a thin-wire gate on a farm that can be twisted away from the fence.
Article as published in The San Diego Realtor® magazine.
Popular Fencing Materials
Wood Natural material made from trees with a wide variety of styles and finishes. Wood will warp, fade, and rot, unless finished with stain or paint and a protective gloss. Specially treated wood can reduce termite pest invasion caused by water damage. Popular woods include:
|
|
Man-made materials
|
|
Metal
|
|
Natural Materials
|
|
Safety / Protective
|
|
Fence & Gate Styles
Arched (Concave / Convex)
|
|
Board on Board
|
|
Board to Board
|
|
Capped
|
|
Corral
|
|
Dog Eared Top
|
|
Gothic Top
|
|
Good Neighbor
|
|
Horse
|
|
Lattice or Lattice Top
|
|
Picket
|
|
Picket Top
|
|
Scalloped
|
|
Shadow Board or Shadowbox
|
|
Split Rail
|
|
Elements can be combined to create an attractive fence and gate which lends appeal to your listing! Environmentally friendly fences reuse and recycle old wood. “Fences create good neighbors,” as the saying goes, but fences also provide privacy, ensure safety, and create eye-catching curb appeal.
Privacy fence or perimeter fence? Now you know the difference! Equipped with gate and fence lingo, you can easily describe them in your listing presentation. And when home shopping with buyers, you can now identify various styles, materials, and usages. You’re the gate and fence expert!
Read more in our "Learn the Lingo" series:
1) Backyard & Outdoor Structures: Learn the Lingo
2) View From the Windows: Learn the Lingo
3) Architectural Styles: Learn the Lingo - Part 1
4) Architectural Styles: Learn the Lingo - Part 2
5) Learn the Lingo: Luxury Bathrooms
6) Learn the Lingo: Fences & Gates
7) Learn the Lingo: Vintage Features of Historic Homes
8) The Kitchen: The Heart of the Home Can Be Gourmet
9) The Gourmet Kitchen: Everything and the Kitchen Sink
10) Open the Door of Possibilities (Exterior Doors)
11) The Difference a Good Door Makes (Interior Doors)
12) Tiles
13) Sustainable and Eco-Conscious Home Features (Part 1)
14) Sustainable and Eco-Conscious Home Features (Part 2)
15) Sustainable and Eco-Conscious Home Features (Part 3)
16) Roof Architecture – Don’t Let it Go ‘Over Your Head’
17) Let There Be Light Fixtures ... And There Are Many!
18) A Discussion of Ceilings Will Have You Looking Up
19) Fireplaces: Literally the Hearth of the Home
20) Learn the Lingo of Walls
21) Apply Your Knowledge to Major Appliances
22) Don't Be Floored By this Topic: It's Right Under Your Feet
23) HVAC / Mechanical Lingo
24) Rural Properties - A Sustainable Life "Off the Grid"
25) Land Usage, and Showing & Selling Rural Properties
26) The Dramatic Effect of Stairs and Staircases - A Flight of Fancy?
27) Electrical Components - Get Wired for Understanding
28) Learn the Lingo: Plumbing Fixtures (Part 1 of 2)
29) Learn the Lingo: Plumbing Fixtures (Part 2 of 2)
30) Swimming Pool and Spa Lingo
Comments (1)Subscribe to CommentsComment