Sell

Curb Appeal Landscaping Tips: What You Should Trim, Uproot, and Leave Alone

Selling your home takes time. You can expect to find a buyer anywhere from one month to one year after you put the house on the market. But there’s a way to make it sell faster: staging the house.

Staging a house correctly can help your house sell about 73 percent faster than other homes on the market.

But there’s more to staging your house than just cleaning up the interior. You also need to pay attention to your landscaping and exterior.

Improving your curb appeal landscaping can dramatically improve the first impression your home makes on would-be buyers.

Ready to get started? Follow these simple tips to get your landscaping ready in no time!

Table of Contents

Get Rid of Dead Overgrowth

No matter how well you take care of your yard, plants will lose some of their growth. It’s natural and allows the plant to produce the beautiful blooms you love.

But no prospective buyer wants to see a bunch of dead leaves littering your yard and garden.

Use garden clippers to remove dead or dying growth from living plants without damaging the rest of the stem. Dig up any plants that you don’t think you’ll be able to rehab in a week or two.

If you have old plants from years past still taking up space in the garden beds, get rid of them. This is both unattractive and takes up space that you could use for other healthy plants.

Your garden may look a little sparse afterward. But this is only because you’ve gotten used to seeing the overgrowth.

Schedule a Tree Trimming Appointment

Whether you have a few shrubs on your property or have several large trees, it’s important to prune them regularly. Otherwise, they’ll struggle to grow and produce new leaves even when conditions are perfect.

But you shouldn’t attempt to do it yourself. Trimming your own trees is dangerous both to your health and your landscaping. Professionals may cost money, but they’ll make sure everything gets done correctly.

It’s well worth budgeting for. But how much will you spend? Read this article to find out more about the prices you can expect.

Spruce Up Your Mulch

Mulch is a great way to protect your garden beds and soil from the elements. But over time, it starts to break down and discolor.

There’s a reason for this: as the wood breaks down, it deposits nutrients in the soil. And the color change is how you can tell when it’s time to spread new mulch.

But when you’re selling your house and getting your landscaping ready to increase the home’s curb appeal, spreading new mulch can help. It makes your landscaping look more polished and cared for even from the road.

Add Color with Potted Plants

A clean landscape is great, but simplicity can still benefit from a pop of color. If you don’t want to go to the trouble of installing new garden beds or finding room for new plants, you’re not alone.

That’s where potted plants can help. Add a few potted flowers by the front entrance. If you have a porch, add hanging plants to increase the visual impact.

Once you sell the home, you’re able to take these potted plants with you, giving your new home an extra bit of color before you start improving the landscaping.

Tune Up the Irrigation System

When you’re selling your house, you don’t have time to worry about watering the plants in your yard. Instead, you’ll want to leave it to your irrigation system.

But that system needs TLC every once in a while. You’ll want to schedule a tune-up with a local irrigation specialist.

Over time, the pipes and fittings can get clogged with minerals and dirt. A pro will be able to flush those out and get your system up and running reliably. All you’ll need to do is set the timer and let it do its job.

Clean Your Driveway and Walkways

Your driveway and walkway may not seem like a major part of your home’s landscaping. But they’re often the first thing people see when driving up to your house.

When they’re dirty, it makes the entire exterior of your home look less pristine.

Luckily, they’re easy to clean. All you need to do is pressure wash the surface to get rid of unsightly dirt and stains. And you can rent power washers at your local hardware store.

You don’t even need soap. The pressure of the spray is enough to blast through most grime in a matter of minutes.

Just be cautious around your plants and landscaping. The spray nozzle emits water at such high pressure it can kill your grass and plants if you’re not paying attention.

Add Some Lighting and Inspect Existing Fixtures

No, we’re not saying you need to hire an electrician and install permanent outdoor lighting fixtures. Though, you certainly can.

Instead, look for solar or battery-powered stake lights. These are easy to install on your own and add enough light at dusk to make your landscaping stand out.

Even better, they illuminate your walkways, making the house look more approachable and welcoming when prospective buyers drive by.

If you have outdoor light fixtures already installed, inspect them. Make sure the bulbs are still working. And if the system runs on a timer, make sure the lights turn on when they’re supposed to.

Any issues should get fixed before you start showing your home. This will make the property more tempting to prospective buyers and it might make a difference during your pre-sale inspection.