Tips for Selling Your House

Making a first good impression with the front yard makes a huge difference to a potential home buyer.  Landscaping completes a home and increases livability with outdoor spaces.

1. Foundation: Look at your house and the surrounding landscape.  Repair and replace any damage including windows, trim and downspouts.  Spruce up the address numbers or replace with fresh new ones. 
2. Plants: Keep surrounding plants healthy and cleaned up.  Prune out dead wood, prune undergrowth, remove dead or tired plants.  Finish with a topping of fresh bark mulch in all plant beds.
3. Lawn: Keep it healthy, green and mow it regularly.  An overgrown lawn is NOT a ‘meadow.’
4. Focal Point: Consider adding a pot or two with lush plants and color somewhere near the entry.  Make sure they are watered regularly.  Does the door need new paint?  Maybe a new color that is complimentary to the house color and pops.
5. Walkways/Driveway: Are they clean and in good condition?  Do you have access from the street curb to the front door?  Cracks, holes, missing bricks, etc. require repair.
6. Style:  Overall style of the yard should be complimentary to the style of the house.  Don’t overwhelm a potential buyer.  Your yard should excite them to see more.  Add some seasonal color, keep it clean, and nothing needing repair are important for first impressions.  If you have water features and outdoor lighting they must be working properly and be appealing aesthetically.
7. Outdoor living: Decks and patios are a plus when in good condition, maintained and designed well.  They should be extensions of the indoor living areas.  Don’t overfill with furniture that makes a space seem smaller.  Keep it simple with cozy groupings for entertaining, lounging and dining.  Keep clutter to a minimum, accessories are supposed to enhance and not be the focus.
8. Garden Art: Keep sculptures and artwork to a minimum or none at all.  A potential buyer may not share your aesthetic and style of art.  When in doubt remove art from the space.  You want the buyer to be able to imagine themselves in your house.

Once you have everything in order, you have to keep it maintained and clean.  Regular maintenance and irrigation can go a long way to create that first impression.