Don’t Over-Landscape Your Home Before Selling

When we decided to sell our home, we knew we had some minor repairs and a little redecorating to perform such as painting, cleaning, and landscaping. The painting and cleaning was easy, but the landscaping was another issue, as we needed to give this some thought and consideration in order to help sell our home. We did not want to spend a lot of money or time on this project, and we did not want to go overboard on elaborate designs or plants, however we did want a yard that would be attractive and appealing to a home buyer. Therefore, we decided to make a list of what we would not want when it came to a landscaped yard if we were buying our home all over again.

High Maintenance Plants

We first thought about the care the landscape would require such as pruning and decided a person moving into a new house had enough to do getting their home in order without the worry of overgrown plants and bushes. Therefore, our choices for plants were ones that requires little maintenance.

Spacing Plants Too Close

Next, we thought of where to put the plants. If the plants were spaced too close together, this could present an appearance of untidiness and crowdedness, as if the plants were just thrown in to fill a space or gap. The homebuyer might see this as more work, as eventually these plants will have to be thinned out.

Year-Round Plants

We thought about what time of year our house might sell, and what the landscape would look like during each season. If it was wintertime, we did not want all plants to appear bare or dead looking. Therefore, our plant choices were a variety of plants that would provide foliage all year round.

Christmas Decorations

Many people like to decorate their houses during the Christmas season with lights or yard ornaments. We considered this when choosing plants for the landscape, as stringing lights in a small tree or over a bush can add a special touch to your home during the Holiday season.

Groundcover (Mulch and Rock)

Once we had chosen our plants, the next thing we needed to look into was groundcover. Should we use mulch or rock? Although mulch is a more natural look, it is not easily maintained, as it needs to be replaced or added to, almost every year. The right color rock, on the other hand, can be very attractive complimenting the color of your home. It provides good drainage for the plants it surrounds and does not have to be replaced as often as mulch.

Be simple in your design and choice when landscaping your home in readiness for selling. Simple is better as the homeowner is looking for easy maintenance, attractiveness, and a look that compliments the house. A simple, not over-landscape design will also provide the buyer with ideas of their own, should they want to do their own landscaping.