There are many opinions about this question. Improving your curb appeal can have significant benefits to how quickly your home sells and how it can affect your bottom line. However, landscaping projects are costly, time-consuming and require some maintenance afterwards. Here are some things to think about when you are weighing the pros and cons of landscaping before you sell!
Related Reading: 4 Best Landscaping Tips to Help Sell your Home in Collegeville or Phoenixville, PA
Advantages of Landscaping Before Selling
Your home’s landscaping is the first thing a potential buyer sees. And some buyers will drive right by a house that has poor curb appeal.
Curb appeal attracts more buyers! Since the front yard makes a first impression quickly, sprucing up its appearance is a smart investment. 94% of realtors suggest sellers improve curb appeal before listing a home for sale. And 99% of realtors believe curb appeal is important to potential buyers.
We’re not suggesting a complete renovation, but rather some minor enhancements that will give your home the ‘wow’ factor that will attract more showings, and hopefully, more offers. Here are some, inexpensive basic curb appeal tips we suggest:.
Clean Up – Weed, mulch and edge all your planting beds and borders.
Add Color – Plant annuals in beds and enhance your doorstep or patio with pots of blooming annuals. (Real Estate Agents will tell you that yellow puts people in a buying mood). Potted plants on either side of the front door add a cheerful touch and are easy to care for. And the nice part is that you can take them with you in their pots when you move.
Prune Shrubs & Trees – Don’t let your shrubbery obscure your house. Remove scraggly shrubs that might show neglect and plant a filler shrub that has a splash of color.
Maintain Lawn – Consider laying sod in problem areas or spread grass seed on bald spots.
Fix or Remove Outdoor Lighting. When landscape lights are working well, they show the house off to buyers who come to check out your neighborhood at night. However, if the lighting needs repairs, either fix them or rip the whole system out if its costly. The home inspector will notice it and report it on his or her list.
Disadvantages of Landscaping Before Selling
While we’re confident in the benefits of landscaping for sellers, we also acknowledge that most outdoor projects come with a price tag. Here are some of the factors to consider when discussing your options.
Cost Factor. There’s a definite trend that home buyers are drawn to outdoor living spaces. Yes, a nice patio with a firepit will help sell your home. However, it’s a hard to justify making a sizeable investment just to sell your home. But if you have a long range plan to sell, then perhaps it worthwhile to consider it and be able to enjoy the space for years to come.
The trend today is that homeowners are drawn to outdoor living spaces. an area that extends your home lifestyle outdoors. The backyard won’t control the buyers’ first impression, but it does become a factor especially if the buyer looks forward to treating the backyard as another room. It’s functional space – buyers will look forward to treating it like another room, especially in warmer climates.
However, if you have a long range plan to sell your home, then you might consider making a sizeable investment
Possible Extra Maintenance. Depending on when your house is sold, your new landscaping may require some routine maintenance to keep it looking pristine. Upkeep can vary widely, so be prepared to keep up any maintenance until your home sells.
When Time is of the Essence
If your time frame is much shorter, then our advice for quick landscaping to sell your house (in terms of a backyard), would just be making sure it’s neat and tidy. Just like the front yard, you don’t want it overrun with weeds or filled with bare spots. You want the potential home buyer to be able to envision using that yard to the fullest.
Make sure that you’re keeping up with landscape maintenance so that your backyard is not a major turnoff when potential buyers view your home.
Benefits of Consulting with a Landscape Professional to Help Sell Your Home
We recognize it’s difficult to view your landscape with an objective eye and know what landscape improvements to make that will bring you the best ROI. But statistics tell a beautiful landscape improves curb appeal and can increase home values by as much as 17%. For that reason, it’s worth considering.
Whitehouse Landscaping has worked with many homeowners, in various stages of selling their home, to get their outdoors market-ready. We can add enhancements, or we can just shape up what’s already there. Request a consultation or call 484-300-4290 for a walk-thru and expect that you’ll get the best advice on landscaping to sell your home.