When selling first impressions count!!!
Your garden will very likely be the first part of your property that a prospective buyer will see. Make sure that first impression is a positive one. Presenting your garden well will add value to your property. Undertaking some work on it and investing in some plants could mean that you achieve a quicker sale and the best possible price for your house.
1. Remove unsightly rubbish:
Don’t leave unsightly items in your garden or treat it as a dumping ground, it never gives a good start to a viewing for people to see this.
2. Keep pathways and patios clean and clear:
Clean and weeded paths look good. Prospective buyers don’t want to be stepping over weeds and ducking under shrubs when trying to view your garden. If you have slippery pathways clean or power hose them down to avoid potential accidents.
3. Keep lawns well maintained:
Keep the lawn well maintained. Don’t leave the grass until it looks like it’s out of control and then panic and mow it right down so that it then looks yellow and half dead. Keep the grass cut regularly once a fortnight throughout the growing season. Using a half moon edger will create defined lawn edges for a professional finish.
4. Use all the space:
Trim back hedges and shrubs. Overgrown hedges, lawns and shrubs can make a good sized garden feel tiny and cramped. Keep them trimmed and pruned.
5. Show off the best features in your garden:
Many gardens have some beautiful features such as a water feature or an attractive range of flower beds. Make sure you show this off when you walk prospective buyers round your garden.
6. Weed:
When weeding make sure that you dig up the roots where possible as perennial weeds will be back with a vengeance if you leave their roots in. Once you have cleared the ground, keep it weed free by hoeing regularly, and applying a thick layer of mulch.
7. Ground cover:
If you want to keep your garden healthy then the worst thing you can do is to leave large areas of bare soil. Once you have weeded invest in some plants to fill the area and some quality mulch such as green waste compost or mushroom compost. Mulch is best applied when the ground is moist after rain. Make sure you keep new plants well watered until they are established.
8. Maintenance:
Unsightly fences and uneven paving slabs should be fixed and painted. Clear drains and gutters, ensure any climbing plants are not growing in your gutters or under the tiles.
9. Light:
In some cases badly positioned or overgrown trees and plants can block allot of light from a house making it feel smaller and darker. Work done in the garden can change the feel of the house as well as the garden.
10. Pets:
If you have dogs or cats make sure that you pick up their poo, there is nothing more off putting that stepping in one! Where possible try and ensure that your dog doesn’t wee on the lawn as the Nitrogen in the wee will make the lawn look patchy.