You know that old adage about not judging a book by its cover? Well, potential homebuyers don’t subscribe to that way of thinking. The first impression your home elicits is often the difference between smooth selling and having to navigate the rough waters of real estate longer.
Follow these landscaping tips to boost curb appeal and help you close the deal.
1. Heed the weeds. If you notice weeds popping up in your plant beds, remove them. Weeds are to a flowerbed what pimples are to a face. You can pull them by hand or buy a spray product to kill them. With the weeds gone your plants won’t have to fight them for the nutrients they need.
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2. Be a bush barber. Overgrown bushes are unsightly, and they lure in pests. If the bad landscaping doesn’t turn off potential buyers, the horde of spiders that come with it might. Get some shears and alleviate the fears of those with arachnophobia.
3. Get green grass. The lawn typically makes up the largest area of your landscaping. Make sure you maintain it by mowing regularly and keeping it a nice shade of green. This may mean you need to seed the lawn or fertilize it, but doing those things might help sell the home faster and get more green in your pocket.
4. Don’t be high maintenance. Your landscaping should require little upkeep. Not everyone has a green thumb or wants to spend their weekend tending to plants. If a potential buyer wants to add plants that are more elaborate later, they can. You shouldn’t force a chore on someone. Remember how you felt when your parents did that to you?
5. Steer clear of clutter and chaos. Don’t throw a motley collection of plants in your beds without a plan in mind. You should also try not to plant things too close together, so give them apt space. Your landscaping should come together like a renaissance painting, not a Jackson Pollock piece.
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6. Prune the perished. If flowers or bushes are dying, get them out of the picture. Replace those plants with something full of life. No one likes to be reminded that death is imminent when looking for a home.
7. Make your beds. Whether your plant beds are covered with rocks or mulch, make sure they’re not in disarray. If mulch chips or rocks find their way out of the bed, rake up the strays and put them back. If necessary, add a new layer of mulch or rock to refresh the look of the beds.
If you still need help creating a landscaping plan for optimal curb appeal, consider hiring a highly rated landscaping professional.
