Budget Design for Better Resale
The housing market is hot right now, so you may be considering putting your home up for sale. If you are, your first thought probably goes to how the house presents itself from the outside. The landscape design and lawn, especially, will generally represent the condition of the home and what buyers can expect when they go in. Therefore, it’s important that your property put its best foot forward with great curb appeal.
But do you need to redesign the entire front yard to make a good first impression? That part is up to you, but if you’re looking to buy a new house, your budget might call for simpler changes to the landscape design. Even small upgrades and updates to the lawn and planting beds can have dramatic impact on the look of the whole property.
- Health of the plants. Just removing shrubs and perennials that are dead or cutting back those that have finished their bloom for the season is a step in the right direction. In other words, reduce browning leaves from the picture as much as possible.
- Tidiness of the lawn. Keeping up with mowing seems obvious, but this might be the time for taking the extra step to bag your clippings and remove them from the lawn as well. Re-edge your beds and along walkways and other paved areas, too. If the season is right, overseed bare patches and dethatch to keep it looking greener.
- Weed mitigation. Yank unsightly weeds that detract from the look of the beds. Also, consider a treatment plan for the lawn if dandelions and crabgrass have taken over and convey what might be a maintenance nightmare to potential buyers.
LANDSCAPE DESIGN – SANTA BARBARA
When it comes to creating a landscape, homeowners generally fall into two categories: those who itch to start putting plants into the ground themselves and those who recognize a need to hire out the work. Just as it wouldn’t be wise to …
- A fresh layer of mulch can make plants stand out in their beds and create adequate “white space” for the eye to rest in between focal points. Mulch is great for keeping weeds out, too, but don’t overdo it because too much can stifle the roots of plants you want to keep!
- Work with what you have and add drama by incorporating new or relocated plants to maximize their contrast in the landscape design. Look to the color wheel to guide you: place blues with yellows and oranges, reds with bright greens, etc. Opposites are impactful both in color and texture. Broad leafed plants show much better against those with soft, ferny foliage as do grassy plants with fat succulents.
- Less is more. The gnomes and gazing balls you love so much might not be appealing to everyone looking to buy, so think about what pieces can go into storage while your house is on the market. Reduce your focal points to just a few nice ones, and use plants or that mulched white space for the rest. If taking up your yard ornaments leaves gaps, fill them with something more neutral such as boulders or small perennials.
Your Realtor will provide great advice as to how your home’s landscape design will affect its list price and ultimately the purchase price once you have a buyer. Take the advice seriously and also consider hiring a landscape professional to help with those touches and upgrades that will easily increase the value of your home.
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