Landscaping For Newbies: The Basics of Making Your Yard Beautiful

When it's time to sell your home, landscaping can make the difference between a good offer and a great offer. Knowing how to make your home look beautiful and well maintained can leave buyers with a good first impression. Landscaping basics are simple enough: clean up the lawn and facade of the home to make the property look trim and clean. This process can be more involved than it sounds. These tips will help you get your home ready to be put on the market and seen by buyers.

Prioritize Lawn Maintenance

Green, trim grass makes your property look fertile and your soil seem healthy. Lawn maintenance is a multi-step process, and all the steps are important.

• Trim grass once weekly (or as necessary) during the growing season.
• Fertilize grass at the beginning of the growing season.
• Water grass twice or three times per week during the growing season.
• Pull weeds as needed throughout the week.
• Edge grass to prevent it from growing up over pathways and sidewalks.

Busy homeowners can set up a calendar to get into the routine and make lawn maintenance seem more manageable. Those who aren't able to handle all maintenance on their own should consider having their property maintained by a professional gardener.

Keep Everything Clean

Clean siding and windows makes a home look fresh and new. To wash the siding, use a strong jet of water from a hose, or a power washer. If using a power washer, be careful to avoid stripping the paint or damaging the siding. If the siding is under warranty, check with the manufacturer to determine whether or not power washing the siding can invalidate the warranty.

Make Necessary Repairs

A broken door, rusty fence hinges, burned out light bulbs and poorly maintained garden lighting can all make a home seem like it hasn't been well maintained. Make any necessary repairs before your home is seen by buyers. Even small fixes like straightening a lawn ornament can make a difference.

Plant Colourful Annual Flowers

Colourful flowers attract attention from buyers and make a property look cheerful and inviting. For many home sellers, the best flowers to plant when trying to sell a home are annuals, because they're inexpensive, widely available and easy to maintain. When putting flowers in the ground, pay close attention to their lighting needs.

Use Mulch

Mulch keeps the soil moist and prevents weeds from growing around your flowers. Spread mulch evenly over the soil in your flower beds. Mulch can make your home's beds look unified and organized. Different types of mulch come in different colours. Give thought to your own landscaping when choosing the best colour for your property.

Make a Display

After tidying up the lawn, growing healthy green grass, planting beautiful flowers and cleaning the siding, finish the project by creating a display somewhere on the lawn. A bench and a potted plant, for example, can make your lawn appear to be a comfortable place where one can sit and pass time. Other ideas include:

• Place a rocking chair and small side table on the front porch, then drape a throw blanket over the back of the rocking chair.
• Place a few potted plants on the stairs leading up to the front door.
• Put hanging planters on the front porch and drape the railings of the porch in tasteful seasonal garland.

Attractive accessories in the lawn can become eye-catching pieces that unify the yard and make it look more put-together for prospective buyers. This alone is a great final touch for any home for sale—even homes in popular communities like Gleneagles.

Work With Your Real Estate Professional

A good real estate professional can help you give your home the finishing touches before putting your property on the market. To get started selling your home, contact a reputable real estate professional in your area.