Landscaping Tips to Help Sell Your Home
There’s a lot that goes into selling a home. Finding an agent or reviewing a mountain of paperwork is only part of the battle. The other part of selling your home is landscaping. A clean and organized landscape can make all the difference when selling a home.
Here are some tips on how to increase your chances on selling a home with the help of your landscape.
1. Keeping it Clean
Landscape upkeep is essential. It’s difficult to sell a home if weeds are growing in the flower bed. An out of control lawn can house a plethora of insects, which is a hazard for those with compromised immune systems.
Before you clean the landscape, take before and after photos of the landscape. This will further awe homebuyers who are enthused with the outdoors. If the landscape is too overwhelming, hire a landscape professional to trim bushes, mow lawn, and extract yard waste.
Use a cost-efficient ground cover like pine straw. This will give buyers an idea of the possibilities of the landscape. In addition, a ground cover keeps muddy water in garden beds and away from the home or lawn.
Trimmed shrubs and bushes last a few weeks depending on how close you have them cut.
- Trim shrubs and bushes close during the colder months.
- Top out (nipping) shrubs and bushes during the spring and summer.
Mow lawns moderately close to the ground. If you mow to the yellowed blades of grass, you’ve cut the lawn too close to the ground. When in doubt, hire a landscape professional.
2. Outdoor Pressure Washing and Painting Windows
Once the landscaping is under control, use this opportunity to power wash surfaces on the house and outdoor flooring. Vinyl siding, stone or any other surface can be cleaned without chemicals. Pressure washing a home does wonders for a homeowner looking to sell.
It’s better to pressure wash during the warmer months of the year. Pressure wash siding until the sustain grim is cleaned into the siding’s original color. Pressure washers with 2400 PSI or higher can possibly damage siding, so take caution.
For outdoor flooring, don’t pressure wash so closely.
- Stone Flooring is usually melded together with sand and can easily be loosed with a pressure washer.
- The surface of outdoor wood flooring can be damaged by a pressure washer. Remember you only want to get the grim off the surface. If you see a long splinter of wood hanging on the flooring, you’ve got the pressure washer too close.
After you’ve pressure washed the home and cleaned the landscape, consider painting the windows. This is done better by professionals. It’s an investment that brings more out of your landscape.
For a more natural look to the outdoor wood flooring, polish the wood with wood stain finish after the pressure washing has dried. The sheen of outdoor wood finish will help improve the overall landscape cosmetics.
3. Installing a Presentable Walkway
There are many ways you can approach walkway installation. Generally, all walkways lead to an entrance to the home. Here are some ideas that may jog some inspiration:
- Garden Bed Walkway – Lay out a walkway with a ground cover, several shrubs and annuals. Use stepping stones that lead to the entrance of the house.
- River Rock Pathway – This Oriental-style walkway is creative and effective against water.
- Stone Walkway – The most decorative and high in cost. Stone walkways require a lot of work and precision.
4. Update Landscape Drainage
Landscape flooding and water damage are deterrents for potential homebuyers. The best solution is to update drainage with new drainage piping and maintenance on current drainage. For outdoor drainage maintenance consider using a drain opener such as plumbing snakes or augers. Combine these tools with the force of a garden hose and water.
Next, install a new patio drainage system in low elevated areas of the landscape regardless of location. Low chances of flood water are lower chances of flood damage which potential buyers will love.
How to Implement these Tips
The simplest way to put these tips to use is to hire a professional who can ensure these factors of your landscape remain optimal. Explain what your needs are so that you’ll have something to present to homebuyers. If you’re skilled in any of these areas, you may be able to save a few hundred dollars. Be sure that it’s better for your overall investment.
Sent in by Corey Tyner, Offer Climb