Gardens make a difference

Posted on Jun 20, 2011 in Selling Tips

When you want to sell your home, it’s not just the interior of the property, but also the exterior of the property. The garden can prove extremely profitable if well maintained and could boost the value of your property by up to 10 percent.

There is a huge demand for outdoor space, and with a little maintenance, your garden could even be the determining factor in a sale. It is vital to give your house a perfectly “manicured garden” by making it look as gorgeous as possible to potential buyers approaching.
The garden or patio areas should be kept tidy and neat, whatever the season of the year. Sweeping up leaves on a regular basis and keeping flower beds weeded, lawns mown and hedges clipped could really make a difference.

By following these few simple tips your garden could soon become the crowning glory of your property.

1. Keep it tidy
Whether you’ve got a tiny or half an acre, nothing screams “dump” like a disorderly garden. Don’t be fooled into thinking you will be able to impress prospective buyers with a wildly overgrown garden. Keep on top of the mowing and trimming. This will make your garden look bigger.

2. Garden furniture
If you have a reasonable sized garden, a few carefully chosen items of garden furniture would not go amiss and might help buyers to imagine how they would enjoy the place. A strategically placed sun lounger or garden table can add a lived-in feel that will appeal to potential buyers.

3. Virtually perfect
Think practically. Try to tailor your garden to suit the type of people it’s aimed at. For family appeal create a garden with plenty of lawn space for children to play on. If your property is aimed at single people living on their own, try to create a low-maintenance garden.

4. De-clutter
No one likes seeing a load of kids’ or pets’ toys spread all over the lawn. Build a shed or find somewhere to hide clutter. If you don’t have a lot of space, then you can buy cheap garden storage units from DIY stores.

5. Eco-friendly
With such a huge focus on green living at the moment, your garden is the first place you can do this. You can recycle virtually everything in your garden. Set up a compost heap and impress potential buyers with how clued up you are on green issues.

6. Make it low maintenance
Unless you are a very keen gardener, you won’t want to spend hours on your garden every day. When planning and building your garden, deliberately make it low maintenance. Choose plants that only need attention now and again, and features that only need annual servicing.