So, you’re going to be picking up stakes and moving on to a new home, and that means you’ll be selling your old one. Increasingly, the lawn areas of houses area becoming more important in the selling of houses, so you’ll want to get out and work in your lawn quite a bit before putting that house on market. To answer the question, yes, your lawn can be the sole reason your house does not get sold. Here are some tips and tricks recommended by real estate agents on making sure that your lawn doesn’t cost you your house sale.
Plenty of Color
Even if your landscaping has been very basic, bringing in some plants that will flower during the time your home will be on the market is a great idea, as it provides curb appeal. Bright colors will entice buyers, so plants such as mums and bright wildflowers are great additions. Even having planters or potted flowers in strategic areas around the exterior can change how your place looks in the eyes of a buyer. The one place to avoid color is in the mulch – colored mulches are acquired tastes, and should be avoided when your house is on the market, so put a layer of brown or black over your red mulch.
Lots of Trimming
Your bushes and grass will need to look extra crisp to give the landscaping a more polished finish. If you tend to let your bushes grow out over walkways or push into the deck, you’ll want to trim them back quite a bit – one of the least appealing things is brushing up against a wet, slimy bush when walking in to look at a house. The buyer being comfortable is important to your house sale, and this is a sure way to make them uncomfortable.
Mossy Messes
Mosses can grow all over the place, and large patches of moss on stone, siding, and cement make it appear that the owner doesn’t keep up on cleaning the house or lawn. Make sure to scrub the moss from anywhere you can find it, because while green is great on the grass, it’s sloppy on cement and can have an effect on your house sale.
It’s Not Just You
Quite a bit of the curb appeal during a house sale comes from the area around your house, on the other side of the property line. A messy neighbor who lets their shrubs and grass get out of hand can worry potential buyers, so be political and ask your neighbor if they can neaten up a bit, or even volunteer to do it yourself if they will allow. Likewise, check with your municipality to see if they can repaint public property that sits in front of your property, such as benches or fire hydrants.
By paying attention to these tips, you can help you make sure that your house sale is more successful, and improve the likelihood of moving it out of the market faster.
