When selling your own property, first impressions are everything.
Studies show that buyers can make snap decisions about your home within mere seconds, so you really don’t have very long to wow them, knock their socks off, and make them eager to see the rest of the property.
That’s why real estate experts always talk about curb appeal… that is, the outward appearance of your listing, which should be immediately enticing to house hunters.
And it’s why we’re starting a new blog series, called Curb Appeal 101. The goal of this series is to provide you with some pointers on how to sell a house, and specifically how to ensure a truly winsome first impression.
Today, we’re starting with the front lawn, which buyers will see before they set foot inside. As such, the front lawn can really make or break those first impressions. The question is, how do you make your front lawn look as appealing as possible? How can you leverage a well-maintained lawn to get your place sold?
Curb Appeal Tips: Sprucing Up Your Front Lawn
Here are some suggestions:
- Get rid of any clutter. When selling your own property, it’s vital to maintain an image of careful organization and general cleanliness, which means that any lawn tools or children’s toys need to find a home/storage area. Don’t just leave them on the lawn!
- Spend some time removing unsightly items from your landscaping. What do we mean by that? Prune low-hanging branches, pull weeds, and get rid of dead plants. This may be something you need to repeat every week or so.
- Refresh your ground covers. For example, if you have flower beds with mulch or wood chips, take a morning to spread some new mulch or chips.
- Keep your grass looking as healthy as possible. This can be a tall order, especially in certain seasons, but do make sure you water it as needed. Plant and tend to new grass seed in any bare patches. If your grass situation is really bad, you may want to consider uprooting it all and laying down some turf.
- Add some color! Again, to get your place sold, you need to grab attention right off the bat… and some splashes of floral coloring can go a long way.
- Finally, just be sure to stay on top of the mowing and weeding. You may have potential buyers who want to walk around the property a little bit; make sure they don’t have tall grass scratching at their ankles!
Remember, when it comes to how to sell a home, curb appeal really is foundational. Stay tuned for the next part of our Curb Appeal 101 series, where we’ll get into the front porch/stoop. And as always, get your SOLD.com report for unbiased information on how to sell your home!
