7 LANDSCAPE TIPS TO MAXIMIZE CURB APPEAL
These landscape tips will come in handy when you put that for sale sign in the ground. Whether you’re selling your house or just want to make the neighbors envious, enhancing the curb appeal of your home can be a rewarding project — and not just for your ego. It can also boost your bank account.
The landscaping tips will make all the difference. According to the National Association of Realtors, the typical homebuyer views 10 homes during the house-hunting process. So, if you intend to sell your home, it must compete successfully against the other nine.
It comes down to making a first impression. So the home’s exterior, including pathways, yard, and garden needs to capture and entice. Here are seven landscape tips to maximize curb appeal, and the
final offer.
1. Use Your Home as a Canvas
Landscape tips that’ll make a difference. Don’t leave your hard-earned cash on the table when you sell your home. Maximizing your curb appeal will help you put more of your home equity back in your pocketbook.
Think of yourself as an artist about to paint a masterpiece. Your landscape is the first thing people see when they arrive, so it must be picture-perfect. Three out of four home sellers plan to spend money improving their homes before putting them on the market.
Sassy Grassy Front Yard
Landscaping can be a relatively inexpensive way to compete. Start with the lawn. The high temperatures and lack of rainfall in Phoenix leave many lawns looking unkempt, even yellow or brown. If you’ve planted a warm-season grass like Bermuda or St. Augustine grass, you’re one step ahead of the game.
Both are drought-resistant. But even drought-resistant grasses need regular, deep watering every three to four days unless there is rain. The time of day is also important. Water early in the morning to give the grass time to soak up the water.
Regular mowing, edging and weeding are just as important. Mow in a different direction each week to encourage the blades to grow upright. Edging every other week will give your lawn that manicured look.
2. Add Color
Homebuyers are looking for a low-maintenance yard, but that doesn’t mean you’re limited to cacti and yucca plants.
Look for native flowers such as feather bush or desert fairy duster to make the landscape pop.
Native flowers and plants are those that have been in Arizona since before the first European settlers arrived.
They thrive in the climate and soil conditions and need little water or maintenance. It’s best to choose flowers and plants that match or complement the color of your home.
But if you can’t find them, consider a desert container garden and select containers that follow the color scheme to host the plants. You can use those containers to line the front walkway.
Trees | Big Pots | Flowers
Sometimes adding a couple of oversized pots with small trees in them makes for a stately look. Add some geraniums in around that those trees and you’ve really got a handsome look.
Many varieties of trees do really well in pots. Work with your local nursery to select the perfect statement tree for your house. You’d be surprised to see how much impact this can make on your curb appeal.
3. Add Depth and Sharpen the Edges
Landscape tips # 3 is all about the edges.
Mix and match shapes, textures, foliage, and color to achieve depth in your garden. Use fine-textured plants in the front row, medium-textured plants in the center and taller or large-leafed plants in the back.
Create a border between the garden and lawn. Landscaping timbers, plastic edges or brick offer architectural structure to the landscape. The yard looks neater, and manual trimming becomes a breeze.
4. Highlight the Garden and Pathways
You’ve put a lot of work into the landscape, so show it off at night. Rope lighting around your garden will highlight the neatly trimmed edges.
Solar lights along the pathway will increase security and safety and give your home a nice glow. Same thing with the patio. Aim a light at the trees.
5. Be Unconventional
Most mailboxes are humdrum and don’t add anything to the landscape. Why not surround yours with a garden or planter featuring plants that won’t overgrow or need much maintenance. Do the same with the electrical boxes and HVAC units. They’re
necessary items, but few people want to see them.
Pro tip: Don’t plant cacti or other sharp-edged plants if you ever want to see a piece of mail or a service technician again.
. Prune and Cut
Start by pruning your larger shrubs and trees with a trusty electric hedge trimmer, then use hand shears to take care of the little details.
Once that is done, remove trashy- looking trees and overgrowth. Re-evaluate your landscape. That vegetable patch might look like heaven to you and your family, but it could mean unwanted maintenance for potential buyers.
7. Restore the Luster With a Power-Wash
Over time the hardscaping can get dirty and grungy. Either rent a power-washer or hire a professional to pressure-wash the paved areas, deck, garage, and fence. The inside of your home is also important. But you won’t get buyers inside unless the
outside is inviting. Most real estate agents will tell you the location of a home is vital, but so is landscaping, landscaping, landscaping.
So get out there and use these 7 landscape tips to maximize your curb appeal.
I liked how you mentioned that solar lights along pathways in your yard will make your yard safer. My wife and I are moving to a new neighborhood and we want to make sure that our kids stay safe when they are playing in the backyard. I’ll be sure to tell my wife that we should hire landscapers to add solar lights to our backyard.
Great I am glad our post was able to help you guys out!
I like the idea of having a border between the lawn and the garden. I could see how that would give it a more professional look than just having a section fo grass missing. If I decide to start a garden, I’ll have it get some landscaping timbers or something to help create a good barrier so I can keep up the curb appeal.
My parents want to downsize by the end of August this year. They want to get the most money possible for the house they are currently living in. They are considering improving the home’s curb appeal before putting the house on the market. So, I liked your suggestion about making a pathway and having solar lights along the edge of it. They might want to get a landscaper to help them improve the greenery as well.
While landscaping you need to know what type of landscape you wish to keep and which to not as most of landscaping company uses advance method to landscape the garden which maximize the strength of your lawn area.
It’s good to know from this article that I can choose from a wide array of native flowers and plants to add a pop of color to my landscape. Our backyard is an undeveloped lot filled with tree stumps and wilted flowers, and I think that it’s such a shame to leave it like that. It might be a good idea to hire professionals that offer ground leveling services first and start from there.
I appreciate that you shared it is best that we treat our home as a canvas when decorating our landscape. My wife mentioned that she wants to change our landscaping. I will encourage her to channel inspiration and apply it to our garden.