Tips for Making the Outdoor Areas of Your Home More Appealing to Buyers

When you’re preparing to put your home on the market, it’s necessary to freshen up the inside of your home. This way, potential buyers will be impressed by the house when they inspect it. However, many homeowners don’t put enough time and effort into also improving the curb appeal of their properties.

Since the first and last things people see when they inspect homes are the outdoor areas, you must make them look as good as you can. Doing this will increase the likelihood that your property leaves a positive, lasting impression with buyers. It doesn’t have to cost significant money or take you months to boost curb appeal, though. There are numerous tasks you can complete over just a few weekends to make a world of difference.

curb appeal - tips for making the outdoor areas of your home more appealing to buyersGardening and Lawn Maintenance

Gardening and lawn maintenance should be a priority, especially with homes in Buford, where weekly maintenance is mandatory. Start by cutting back any large, tangled trees, shrubs or vines taking up too much room. Move plants well away from the house, too, as you don’t want them dropping debris into gutters or getting under roof tiles.

Remove anything that has died, and relocate trees or shrubs that have grown too large for their current positions. Call in a tree lopper to help out if any greenery has gotten so high that you can’t safely cut it back or remove it yourself.

If the problem is not an overgrown garden but rather a bare one, purchase plants to make your outdoor areas “sing.” Buy affordable options from garage sales, local markets, and nurseries, or accept cuttings from friends and family members. Don’t worry about getting a wide variety into your gardens; adding the same types of plants around the yard is usually cheaper and will make a huge difference, showing that you care for your property.

Spend time getting your lawn looking its best, too. Regular mowing is vital, particularly before you have home inspections. Also, water your lawn often so that it doesn’t die off. Lawns require more moisture in the hot summer months, after being laid, and during periods where it doesn’t rain for weeks or months at a time.

Other tasks include fertilizing your lawn once or twice per year, raking leaves, and aerating the lawn. If you find these gardening tasks are too much for you, outsource the work to a professional gardener or specialist lawn care and tree service.

Declutter

To improve curb appeal, try to spot clutter in your yard that can be removed. While we often don’t see junk after time because we walk past it every day, potential buyers will immediately notice unnecessary items. These things make yards look unkempt and smaller than they are.

Avoid this situation by removing anything you no longer use, or that’s broken, rusted out or otherwise damaged. There could be a sad-looking swing set, cubby house, bench, statue, fountain, sculpture, sun-lounge, wheelbarrow, tools or other pieces laying around. If you find these items hard to part with, remind yourself that clearing them out now will save you the job later when moving.

Lighting

Lighting is something many homeowners don’t think about enough. While most house inspections happen during daylight hours, some occur at night. As such, it pays to install quality outdoor lights that will enable potential buyers to see their way and take in the size and style of your yard when visiting at night.

Selecting solar-powered lights is wise. These products will not only save you money on electricity but also appeal to those interested in cutting costs and living a more eco-friendly life. There are some DIY options these days, but most lights will need to be installed by a licensed electrician.

Other Elements

Lastly, to boost curb appeal pay attention to other elements of the outside of your home. For example, get the roof cleaned and repaired as needed, and replace or repair any faulty garage doors, windows, awnings or external doors. If your current front door is in decent condition but looks a little aged, freshen it up with a coat of paint and a new door knob or handle. Fresh paint on the eaves and windows may also be in order.

Furthermore, if your driveway has cracks in it, consider having it resurfaced before you put your home on the market. Also repair fences, if needed, and replace a rusted-out or falling over the mailbox with something more modern. If you are thinking of selling you would be surprised to learn that a good first impression goes a long way to avoiding real estate appraisal issues.

Joshua Jarvis
Joshua Jarvis

Joshua and his family have served Gwinnett County for over 20 years, specializing in homes for sale in Buford, Braselton, Hoschton and areas in the north Gwinnett area. Jarvis Team Realty has sold over 1,000 homes all over Atlanta