The Importance of Landscaping when Selling a Home

The first thing a potential buyer sees is your home's exterior. As such, it sets the tone for the rest of the viewing. If their first impression is one of poor maintenance and drab appearance, that's going to color their view of the rest of the house. As such, investing in landscaping can make a big difference in how long it takes to sell your home. It can even improve the final price.

Don't Forget the Small Stuff

Landscaping doesn't have to be expensive. The most basic landscaping task is to regularly mow the lawn. Don't wait until the open house. The buyer might drive by to see whether viewing the house is worth their time, so regular maintenance is essential.

Other unruly features should likewise be put in their place. This means trimming back trees and bushes and weeding flowerbeds. Dead and dying plants should be removed as well. Put down fresh mulch. It increases the appearance of being orderly and in good upkeep.

Put Flowers to Work in Your Landscaping

When you're selling your home, you want both the interior and exterior to be inviting. Many home exteriors are pretty bland, but landscaping can add a lot of variation and creativity to make your home stand out among other contenders.

Of course, you can install expensive hardscapes like paved walkways and retaining walls, but there's many more affordable options that can do wonders to your home's exterior.

The first is the addition of potted plants. They're great on the porch, although you'll need to remember to water them. There's lots of other places you can place them as well. Don't overdo it, however. You don't need dozens. A small handful will go miles, and will give small, attractive accents to your home’s exterior.

If you don't have a flowerbed, consider installing one. Fill it with hardy, low maintenance plants to save both you and the future owner effort in caring for them. Consider plants that bloom for several months out of the year. There's not a lot of point to them if they only bloom for a couple weeks.

Finally, keep the flower selection simple. Buying one of everything creates a disorganized appearance. Buy several of the same plant and group them together.

Consider Your Neighbor's Landscaping

Not sure how much is enough? Look to your neighbors. Your landscaping should be on par with nearby houses. Otherwise, buyers may get the impression they're getting sub-par housing for the area. But there's also no need to vastly overdo your landscaping either. That will only highlight the limits of the neighborhood.

If a neighbor's landscaping is not what you would like a buyer to see from your home, you may want to install something to block the view. Tall hedges or small trees sometimes do the trick, although it can be a bit of an investment. A wood fence is also a possibility, but it can be a double-edged sword as some buyers prefer an open view.

There's lots of affordable ways to spruce up your home's exterior. Overall, maintenance is key. It doesn't matter how much you install if you don't care for it. Luckily, maintenance doesn't have to be time consuming or back breaking so long as you regularly perform it.

The home's exterior is the first impression a buyer gets from your home. Help it put its best foot forward with proper maintenance and perhaps a few additions to entice buyers and sell your home sooner.