Landscaping Your Home for Sale

Landscaping your home to prepare it for sale is different than landscaping a home you plan to live in. There are several things to keep in mind. First of all, less is more. It is not necessary or even prudent to invest in massive landscaping designs on a home you will not be living in. The purpose of landscaping a home for sale is to appeal to the broadest base of potential buyers as possible. It is not to reflect your own style or make a personal statement about your tastes. Your goal is to give eye appeal to your property, not to see how many plants and sculptures you can fit into any given space. The design you select should be something a potential buyer will regard as easy to care for, and not a design that will require constant work and maintenance.

From strictly a financial standpoint, it is better to spend as little as possible in order to achieve a pleasing look for the property you are selling. While it may be tempting to buy a lot of trees, shrubs, and plants, keep in mind you are aiming just for a certain look. Quantity does not substitute for quality. In fact, it's all too easy to get carried away and then all you achieve is a look of disorganized clutter, something that has little appeal to most homebuyers. When planning your landscaping, keep it simple and clean.

In order to appeal to as many buyers as possible, stick to common-sense basics like trimmed edges, spare designs, clean lines, and low-maintenance layouts. Buyers can always add plants and features once they own the home.

If you already have some landscaping in place, the first step is to clean it up. Trim bushes and shrubs, clear landscaped areas of debris like fallen leaves and weeds. Use a trimmer or edger to produce clean lines on the perimeter of your yard, along any walkways, and around your flowerbeds. Fill in any bare spots in the lawn with fast growing grass seed. Make certain your porches are in good condition, make any necessary repairs, paint or carpet the surfaces if they are dull or damaged. These steps alone will improve the general impression of your property.

If you have a well-placed tree in your yard, there is a quick way to add some charm. Simply circle it in bricks or pretty stone. Be sure and lay down black weed barrier first. Then fill in the circle with decorative mulch, such as red or brown wood chips. The cost is minimal in comparison to the finished effect. If you have a bare exterior wall, consider putting in a few well spaced plants and fill in with decorative mulch. Maybe place a simple row of patio bricks or stones in front.

In summary, there is no need to spend a fortune preparing the exterior of your home for sale. Think clean, simple and low maintenance.