How to Landscape When Selling Your Home
Photo by Ronnie George on Unsplash
Introduction
If you have ever sold a home before, or you are in the process of doing so now, you know how important first impressions can be. Your landscaping provides that initial impression to potential buyers, and it can make or break a sale.
In this guide, we will provide easy and inexpensive ways to ensure your property looks incredible during the selling process. You have enough on your plate with keeping the house clean and dealing with moving, so let us help with some effective landscaping tips.
Prune and Shape Regularly
An Arborist Now Team Member Preparing to Prune Trees
The most important thing for potential buyers to see when they come to look at your home is a clean, healthy yard. This can be achieved without spending any money, as you will only need your own two hands and some pruning shears.
- Remove Weeds: Make sure that all the weeds in your flower beds have been removed as well as any that may have sprouted up around or under your deck and patio and in your driveway.
- Clear Dead Plants: Clear away any dead or damaged plants from your garden and plant beds, and prune the plants to give them a better shape.
- Prune Trees: This goes for your trees as well. Make sure they are trimmed and healthy before anyone comes to see your house.
Removing distractions ensures that those visiting your property see the beauty of your flowers and green lawn rather than focusing on dead plant matter and sprouting weeds.
Spruce Up Your Mulch
A Freshly Mulched Garden Bed
Nothing gives a landscape a more vibrant, rejuvenating look than a new layer of mulch. It is fairly inexpensive to purchase and simple to spread over your garden beds and around your trees.
- Enhance Contrast: The darkness of new mulch does a fantastic job of enhancing the contrast of the surrounding plants and flowers, making everything pop and become more pleasing to the eye.
Enhancing Visual Appeal
Mulch can also be used creatively to enhance the visual appeal of your landscape:
- Color Choices: Mulch comes in various colors, including natural brown, black, and red. Choose a color that complements your home’s exterior and the surrounding plants.
- Patterns and Designs: Use mulch to create patterns or designs in your garden beds. For example, you can alternate colors or create swirls and other shapes for a unique look.
- Borders and Edging: Pair mulch with well-defined borders and edging to create a polished, professional appearance. This can be done using stones, bricks, or metal edging materials.
Maintaining Your Mulch
Maintaining your mulch ensures that it continues to look fresh and provides the intended benefits:
- Regular Refreshing: Replenish mulch annually or as needed to maintain the desired depth and appearance. Over time, organic mulch will decompose and need to be topped up.
- Stirring and Fluffing: Occasionally stir and fluff the mulch with a rake to prevent it from becoming compacted. This helps maintain its insulating properties and improves air circulation.
- Monitoring for Pests: Keep an eye out for pests that may be attracted to mulch, such as termites or slugs. If you notice any issues, take appropriate pest control measures.
Clean Up Water Features
A Hardscaped Backyard Pond with a Waterfall
If your landscaping includes water features such as a small pond or waterfall, these need to be cleaned regularly for potential buyers. Fortunately, this task costs nothing except a little time.
- Remove Algae and Debris: Cleaning out a water feature includes removing any visible algae, cleaning any filters, and removing leaves and other debris to ensure the water is clear.
Having water features that don't work properly or don't look good can really spoil the view of your landscape.
Add More Color
A Colorfully Landscaped Front Yard
If you have some gaps in your flower beds or other parts of your landscape, try adding some color to boost your curb appeal.
- Use Bright Annuals: Pick out bright and colorful annuals that are also fairly low-maintenance. This ensures that your landscaping will brighten up instantly, and you won't have any unseemly gaps.
- Enhance Porches and Patios: Purchase hanging baskets of colorful flowers or plant them in containers. This adds brightness to dull areas and also introduces some nice texture.
- Consider Evergreens: Depending on your hardiness zone, consider planting evergreen bushes for year-round color.
Power Wash Your Hardscaping
A Worker Power Washing a Tiled Driveway
Renting or buying a power washer to clean your hardscaping takes very little time and effort, but has a huge payoff.
- Clean Surfaces: Power washing removes dirt, grime, and debris from your stone, wood, and other hard surfaces, making them look brand new.
- Freshen Siding and Fencing: It also does a fantastic job of cleaning your brick or vinyl siding and your fencing.
Create Defined Edges
Creating defined edges around your flower beds, walkways, and lawn can greatly enhance the overall look of your landscape. It provides a neat and organized appearance that appeals to buyers.
- Use Edging Materials: Consider using materials like stone, brick, or metal edging to create clear boundaries.
- Maintain Clean Lines: Regularly trim the edges to keep them looking sharp and well maintained.
Install Outdoor Lighting
Adding outdoor lighting can significantly boost your home's curb appeal, especially for potential buyers who might drive by in the evening.
- Highlight Features: Use lighting to highlight key features of your landscape, such as trees, pathways, and water features.
- Improve Safety: Well-lit pathways and entryways improve safety and make your home more inviting.
Good Luck, and Happy Selling
We hope you found our landscaping tips helpful in selling your home. If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area and need additional assistance, contact a professional landscaper for help today! These experts offer yard cleanup and debris removal services, mulching and edging services, water feature maintenance, patio and walkway hardscaping, and design services to assist you in selecting the best plants for your landscape.
When you need help with planting and caring for your beloved trees, contact Arborist Now—we are the premier tree care company in the San Francisco Bay Area!
Originally posted on February 14, 2019.
