Are you overlooking this important part of Home Staging?

Chris very good point we need to remember its curb appeal. I have had buyers who don't want to get out of the car if the front of the home doesn't look good.

Yep, ya got to get `em through the door first! A professional home stager will address curb appeal as part of preparing a home for sell, and the neighbors appreciate it too :]

I have seen so many homes that would benefit greatly by some landscaping help. 

I have also had buyers pass on looking at the interiors of homes for sale when they see an unkept lawn and landscaping. 

Yard work is hard work and few buyers are willing to buy a home knowing that they'll be spending a lot of time and perhaps money bringing a lawn back or replacing overgrown shrubs. 

I could not agree more. I personally just bought my first place in the middle of winter, without thinking to much of what the landscape would look like, but all I cared about was how great the kitchen was for such a small home. Then when snow melted away I knew I had an overgrown yard that collected rocks and logs. I am not saying that I would not have bought the house, but I would have requested for a clean up or tacking more off my offer.  

HI Chris-Curb is #1 in my presentation and #1 in the "5 Essential Keys to Success" in selling your home.  I truly believe it can add 10-17% value to the home.  If I am working on a new construction home I do my best to convince the builder to invest in landscaping and if the home is occupied I I recommend power washing, trimming trees, shrubs, new bark, sod-etc.  I love your posts-they are excellent!!  You are an excellent exterior stager!! 

Marie- Yes, poor curb appeal is definitly a big "No thank you!" to many buyers.

Ronelle- I am glad to hear you recommend enhancing the curb appeal along with your services. I think that is definitly a smart move and you understand how the two go together :-D If the outside is unappealing, potential buyers will never see the interior to see the beauty of your work :-D Keep up the great work

Chris, you know that I am 100% with you here.  I would say that 90% of the houses in my area have NO curb appeal.  Golden weeds, gravel, dirt and nothing more.  I always start with curb appeal but have found that when people don't understand plant life they will put in items that I recomment and they don't get maintained...so why bother.  A dead plant or no plant..hmmm, which is best?  The concept of automatic irrigation hasn't hit my area any more than staging. (-: 

Lenn- It amazes me how many people let their yards go once that forsale sign goes in the yard.

I think pretty much any agent who has been around atleast for a little while has had a few of those. I have even heard of a Realtor getting yelled at by their buyer for taking them to look at a house that was unkept outside.

It is cheaper to keep things up than have to completely overhaul things when they get to out of control.

Sherry- Yeah winter is a good time to unload the "less appealing on the outside homes" lol, However I think that and not many want to move in the cold and the snow are a huge part of why the winter slows down for many agents around here lol. But yeah, the less appealing homes, can sell, however like you said.... with a lower offer lol

Cathy- I can tell you are a true professional and very good at what you do :-D The percentages vary of course depending on market and location of course so I can agree 10-17% is still probably a very  "realistic" range. Several builders around here understand the value of installing a lawn and landscaping others wonder why their gorgeous new builds sit empty for months (some even over a year) with no landscaping or lawn. I am glad you enjoy my posts :-D Thank you, thank you :-D Keep up the great work!

Ginger- Yes without proper watering, care and maintenance it definitly becomes one of those is none better than bad? lol If your not already doing so, stress that they do need to water/ properly maintain these items or it will be a waste of their time and money, however with a little care and water will actually return their expenses quite easily with the added value to the home :-D

Yeah while many of the newer homes do have sprinkler systems, I have yet to see or hear of an interior stager in my area... the nearest one I have found is about 50 miles away :-(

Chris I have gone by these houses and shown the sellers how to dead head, trim etc. and tried to assign the water to a member of the family with a cheerleaders style.   For the most part it has been unsuccessful....teens and watering, maybe not a good tactic.  It if weren't so far to most of the houses, (25-40 miles) I would drop by more often to help them keep it up and if it weren't  so blazing hot I would do some of the initial work myself, because I love creating a beautiful yard, but alas I can only do so much.  I WILL however keep up the promoting! 

Chris, it's amazing how much the yard and landscaping play into how much people will pay for a house. Working for a builder, I have to constantly remind them that spending money on the outside means more to their bottom line.

If the exterior doesn't look good, some buyers won't even take a step inside. A first impression is the most important and rememeber, when a buyer looks at property on the web...when they are deciding to see what they want to look at,...the first thing they are going to look at is the landscaping!