Top 10 Tips for Landscaping Your House Before a Sale

When you sell your house, you know what to clean, de-clutter and freshen up on the inside but the outside can be more confusing. Don't worry because now you have the top 10 house landscaping tips for before a sale.

1. Do not take on any large landscaping jobs. Unless you're completely lacking a lawn or some form of front or rear landscaping, don't waste your money on a big project. Your house is for sale and you won't recoup the money.

2. Remove all weeds. Think of every weed as a dollar less on your offer price. A buyer will think that if you don't care enough about your house to remove the weeds, what else did you neglect.

3. Cut the lawn. If your time is tight, hire a lawn crew for the season to ensure that it gets mowed every week.

4. Trim any bushes. A buyer should be able to see your house; the windows shouldn't be covered up by overgrown bushes.

5. Trim the trees. Get rid of all those little saplings at the base of the tree and trim any low branches.

6. Climb up on the roof, trim any branches that touch and remove any sticks that fell on it. This also eliminates any issues with the inspection later. While you're up there, clean out the gutters, too.

7. Don't line up $20 worth of annuals along length of the sidewalk; it looks silly. If budget is a concern, just clean and freshen up the mulch in the beds instead. Let the buyer see the "potential".

8. Group potted plants at the front door. Remember if your house is for sale, the landscaping at your front door area should be welcoming. Keep it simple; try a few mums in a basket or small evergreen trees on either side of the front door.

9. Whether you have a deck, patio, porch or lanai think about this area when you are landscaping your house for a sale. Keep the area free of debris, autumn leaves and snow. Think of it as another room in your house and keep it clean. Simple patio furniture with room to move around is all you need to show off the space to buyers.

10. Last but not least, take care of seasonal landscaping duties. Shovel the snow. Rake the leaves. Keep the lawn watered. Buyers are not going to trudge through the snow to see your house. In fact, they probably won't even get out of the car.

Now you know how to landscape your house before a sale. If you keep these 10 tips in mind, you should have no complaints from buyers about the exterior of your house and the landscaping.