How Important Is Landscaping When Selling a Home?

First impressions are extremely important. Why is that? Well, many people make choices based on what they see and feel long before actually considering logical reasons for a decision. The heart often has a bigger impact than the brain.

As a homeowner planning to sell your house, preparing your house to make a great first impression means showing off rooms in their maximum splendor. Does a home’s exterior deserve the same amount of investment when getting ready to sell?

Why Landscaping Makes a Huge Difference for Potential Buyers

A large number of prospective buyers only visit a home in person after checking out photos online. What potential buyers see directly influences their interest in taking the first step – calling or inquiring about your home – and each successive one after that.

Remember, the final decision of whether or not to purchase depends mainly on how your home makes people feel. Once they fall in love with the house’s exterior, it’s easy for them to imagine their family living there, which means they’ve developed a strong emotional connection.

First Steps: Principal Maintenance Tasks

Getting your lawn ready to go involves certain steps both before putting your home on the market and while waiting for buyers to appear:

• Healthy lawn: This is by far the most important characteristic of landscaping.
• Clean yard: Remove dead branches, accumulated leaves, and as many weeds as possible.
• General maintenance: Repair broken fences, damaged pavers, and broken or loose deck boards.
• Level paths: Place compacted pea stones underneath cobblestone for straight edges while also preventing future weed growth.

During the selling process, take care of your home’s beautiful appearance even if you no longer live there:

• Mowing: Maintain a highly-sought-after-home look with a carefully trimmed lawn. Include tidy edging as well. 
• Watering: Even perennials still need water from time to time.
• Trimming: Tidy bushes add minimalist flair to the property.
• Mulching: An extremely easy and relatively inexpensive element, richly colored mulch makes a huge impression on buyers.

If you’re still living in the house, these tasks are likely automatic; if you have already moved out, hiring a professional landscaper is recommended for maximum results with minimal time investment.

Great Landscaping Ideas

You don’t have to be an expert on landscaping to make some simple changes that give your home a very beautiful appearance. Here are some backyard landscaping ideas that work beautifully:

Highlight Home Accents With Greenery

The purpose of landscaping isn’t to overpower your home, but instead to complement it, express your design vision, and draw attention to specific areas. Near the curb or front fence, rely on stunning-but-easy rose bushes to beckon buyers.

Keep It Simple

You don’t want to overwhelm buyers or give them the idea that they’ll be weighed down by excessive gardening if they purchase the house. Instead, create a minimalist design with fewer plants but photo-worthy scenery.

Feature Decorative Planters

Sculptural pots make great places to showcase flowers. They simplify your life a lot:

• Planting is easier
• Changing landscaping layouts takes minimal effort
• Decorating with planters and pillars adds art to your lawn

Create Privacy

Privacy is a key element for new buyers. Fences and screening plants provide a sensation of independence and intimacy. Create a healthy green wall with medium-sized trees, shrubs, cacti, or bamboo plants.

Make a Space for Relaxing

A cobblestone backyard patio where families can rest, eat breakfast, watch the sunset, or spend time with friends is always welcome and boosts a home’s selling price.

Essential Plants in Every Season

When selecting the perfect plants to make your home stand out, look for a blend of bushes and flowers that are easy to plant and maintain, preferably perennials or evergreens. Follow these helpful fall landscaping ideas for great results:

• Always have a number of plants that look great in any season
• Consider local climate and focus on native plants
• Don’t forget about rock beds and stones
• Make sure any flowers require minimal maintenance, watering, and shade

Here are a few plants that practically live forever and look gorgeous:

• Juniper bushes
• Lavender
• Roses
• Lilies
• Butterfly bushes
• Coral Bells
• Hydrangeas

Practical Tips for First-Time Sellers

1. Say goodbye to your home: Don’t let nostalgia prevent you from making good landscaping decisions. Choose plants that look great and save you time, not ones that bring back memories.
2. Focus on universal appeal: Try to choose popular and current options that appeal to almost anyone, not a niche group focused on growing their own veggies.
3. Prioritize simple fixes: Instead of getting all-new patio furniture, repaint it and replace cushions and accent pillows for instant style. Repainting fences works wonders with minimal investment.
4. Love your power washer: So many surfaces clean easier with a power washer.

Find a Landscape Designer in Miami, FL

To really wow potential buyers, it’s important to take the time to do things right. Instead of taking on large landscaping projects solo, trust our experts at Plant Professionals for all landscaping services. We work with you to develop an incredible layout that fits your design vision while staying within your presale budget. Contact us right away for assistance and advice.