It’s not always what’s inside that counts. When it comes to selling your home for the best possible price, the outside appearance can be crucial. First impressions count, and a cluttered, untidy, drab or simply boring exterior can be a real turnoff, and even shape the potential buyers’ opinion about the rest of the property. It can also put house hunters off even coming for a viewing – remember the first photo they see is the outdoor space. So it’s no wonder then that increasing “curb appeal” is one of the first things real estate agents advise when you prepare to put your home on the market. But landscaping can be daunting, and it can be costly. But the investment you make now will come right back to you, as experts say that on-trend landscaping can increase the value of your home. Let’s take a look at some of those trends.
Curb appeal
The first thing potential buyers will see is the exterior of your home, so it’s important to make it as attractive and welcoming as possible. The first thing to do is to declutter and tidy – get rid of any rubbish and store the garbage bins out of sight. If you have a lawn, keep it mown (more on this later), and any flowers or trees are well maintained. Replacing the front door and garage doors, or simply touching them up with fresh paint makes a big difference. And replace the hardware – letterboxes, house numbers, and door knockers. Dirty windows will ruin your home’s curb appeal, so keep those clean, and re-paint or replace the frames if they look shoddy.
Low maintenance garden
Both front and back gardens should look great whenever someone comes to view the house. But if you’re working full time, staying on top of a garden can be tough, especially if you’ve planted crops or flowers that need a lot of TLC. For this reason, you need to make your garden as low maintenance as possible. Effective irrigation systems are essential to keep your plants and lawn hydrated easily – these come in diverse shapes and sizes. If you live in an area with sandy, rocky, dry, or clay-filled soil and you want to plant flowers, don’t despair. There are plenty of ways to improve and enrich your soil, and plenty of resources online to help. If you can make your gardening stress-free without compromising on how it looks you’ll just have to mow the lawn every couple of days.