Landscaping

Increases Home Value 

By now almost everyone has heard of “staging” a home to sell; and landscaping is the best stage of all. After all, the exterior of a house is the first thing most visitors see. Landscaping is a major component of curb appeal, the way a house looks from the street, and the effect it has on buyers. Curb appeal is also known as the first impression of real estate.

And even though today many potential buyers get their first preview of a property on the Internet, the fact that these people are interested enough to drive by or schedule an appointment to see a house after looking at photos online makes attention to landscaping more important. Especially in a market that is saturated with inventory.

Consider these facts:

Many people are willing to spend thousands for kitchen and bathroom renovations, but think landscape begins and ends with mowing the lawn; leaving their gardens and yards filled with weeds and overgrown or withering plants.

 An unkempt yard looks more high-maintenance than a clean-cut one. Buyers don’t want something that looks like it needs hundreds of hours of work to clean up and maintain. Most landscapers agree the best strategy isn't to disguise the lot with a riot of flowers, but to tidy up overall and thoughtfully add plants to draw attention to positive features, such as a spacious porch, and draw attention away from eyesores, such as the trash cans enclosure.

Some quick fixes include: Consider cutting back overgrown trees and replacing wild shrubs. Resod the front yard; then mulch and edge your lawn to achieve a tidy easy to maintain look. To screen a wall or fence, try using a trellis and a climbing perennial. For even faster coverage, buy and plant a morning glory that already has flowers. Upright evergreens plant quickly and give year-round eye relief. Use large container plants -Place one pot in the front and two in back, where they will draw the eye to features worthy of highlighting.