*This is a collaborative guestpost
Home improvement projects are often touted as a way to add value to your home, but few people discuss how projects in the garden itself can increase your property’s value as well. But by making a few changes to your garden, you could add significant value to your property without going overboard on your budget. Here are a few simple ways you can make your garden more attractive to you and prospective buyers.
Clean Up
Before you assume you have to spend thousands of pounds prettying up the yard, consider cleaning it up. Pull up those weeds in the flower bed. Cut the grass. Trim the bushes back. Prune dead branches from the existing trees. If you have a lot of lawn maintenance equipment or seasonal items, consider getting a shed to store it in instead of leaving it in an unattractive pile in the yard.Clearly define the lawn edges by trimming the grass, or you could take it to the next level by putting in bricks or stones to give the garden edges a low-maintenance and attractive appearance. Don’t forget to clean outdoor surfaces like sidewalks and driveways. And don’t forget to take down the unused clothes line that is too often the central feature of many backyards.
Fix Up
Broken and worn things look bad, and they pull down the value of your home. That aged wood fence could be replaced, making the whole yard look better. If you have a deck, cleaning it and staining it could make it look like new. If that doesn’t work, then you know that the deck needs to be ripped out or replaced. This same concept applies to your driveway if it is cracked or uneven.A good way to make your home look attractive to young families is to invest in a playground. It doesn’t have to be expensive. A simple swing set and sandbox would make the home more attractive to buyers. And if the equipment doesn’t help sell the home, you can replace it or sell it. This is why you don’t want it to be something too fancy. If there’s already a swing in the backyard, make sure it is in good working order before potential buyers start coming by.
Make It Lively
A lively garden will stand out among the homes that potential buyers are visiting. One way to achieve this is with year-round vegetation like evergreen shrubs. If you have a fence, consider putting in garden fence panels. You can find attractive fence panels that make the standard wood fence look bland and there is a wide selection of different garden fence panels available online. You can use fencing panels to create private garden spaces clearly separated from the street and the driveway. People appreciate private gardens and the privacy and sense of security they provide.
Plant the Right Things
A good way to upgrade your home’s value is to add trees. Younger trees are appreciated by home buyers, especially when they’ll provide shade and privacy once they’re fully grown. Take care of where you put them, since you don’t want them to damage the foundation or to interfere with each other. Remove ugly shrubs and dead plants.Another issue is the quality of the lawn itself. You don’t have to rip out the existing lawn to put in flower beds, but at a minimum, the lawn itself needs to be healthy and green to be considered attractive.
If you do want to replace the landscaping, opt for low maintenance gardens. Low maintenance means perennials and evergreen shrubs in place of annual flowers. Anyone who truly wants a high maintenance garden can always plant what they want later. Getting a low maintenance garden may equal ripping out the grass and flowers and replacing it with a deck and rock garden, or it involves removing the vegetable garden you’ve neglected and putting in green turf instead. Limit the number of plant species, since people assume a varied garden equals more work. You should consider covering soil with mulch to help the soil retain water and prevent the growth of weeds; if the garden looks well maintained, the home will seem so by association.
Create Space to Entertain
Where possible, consider creating an area where a new home buyer could entertain others. You already have this if you have a deck. If you don’t want to put in a deck, you could put in a patio or simply lay out some pavers. The goal is to have a flat surface to place a chair and table outside when you’re entertaining. Stage the furniture outside so that home buyers can imagine themselves using it.These are just a few tips for making your garden a selling point for your home and increasing its attractiveness to potential buyers. This may not only lead to higher bids for your home but it will increase confidence into the home’s overall condition as well.
