How your garden can help you sell your home...

Making sure your property looks fantastic internally is always important but it’s also important to spare a thought for your garden, which during the cold winter months can often be neglected.

To help keep you on the path of success to selling your home, here’s a few top tips for ensuring your garden grabs the attention it should.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

If you are lucky enough to have a lawn, find a dry day to cut the grass, trim the hedges and tidy up any bushes. It’s also a good idea to remove and restock any tired looking plants, keeping it fresh and colourful.

Coordinating planters are easy to purchase and can be placed throughout your front and rear gardens. They can also be taken with you when you move into your new home, so everyone is a winner.

Fill any redundant areas you may have with bark, light stones, granite flint – there are lots of options so go explore.

Let there be light

External PIR sensored floodlights are fantastic - particularly for viewings occurring at dusk or after dark. Solar lights look pretty, even when they aren’t on, and are relatively cheap to buy. If you have any trees in your garden, why not purchase a few up-lighters to create a striking effect.

Remove any rope lights or icicle lights which may be left over from Christmas. There’s little that's more depressing than old Christmas decorations - especially when out of season.

Mirror Mirror

Mirrors in beds, on ‘dormant’ walls or trellis, next to shrubs or within the heart of a flowering bed can add an extra dimension to a rear garden. Not only will they reflect light and enhance colours, they will help create a greater illusion of height, width and general space.

Out of Sight

Make sure sheds are tidy and in good order. If they are looking a bit tired ,then give them a lick of paint. The same applies to fencing and (as the TV adverts say) it’s an easy job and the results can be very rewarding.

Give your garage a once over and make sure all internal lighting works and doors are able to be open and shut properly. If you have a car and it fits in your garage, tuck it away in there or park it along the road outside. A clear driveway looks much better than a cluttered one –creating space is king.

Bins are bins - no one particularly wants to see them so it’s a good idea to hide these away if possible. 

Be our guest

If you have space for garden furniture, set these up and, if the weather is being kind,  ‘dress’ the table with a bottle of wine and a few glasses, maybe a candle or two. Light the chimnea, patio heater if you have one, as most people love the idea of sitting out in the garden on a summers evening sipping on a glass of wine whilst having a BBQ with friends, so let them have their moment.

Slippery People

Jet wash any mono blocking, paving, steps and PVC facings. Although a messy job it really is immensely satisfying, the kids can have a go too and the results speak for themselves. If you have decking it’s a good idea to give that a jet wash as well. During the winter months, when it is cold and damp, it can become particularly slippery and we don’t want any casualties during your viewings.

Let me Entertain You

Trampolines, garden play items, swings etc can be left in situ if in good condition and as long as they are not too 'overpowering'.  If you are willing to sell these to a family make them aware that these items could be included in the price. Were you really going to take them with you anyway?  

Work to do

If your property backs onto a rear service lane, try to make sure that this is tidy too.  Of course, why should that have to be your job, but having to make excuses for someone else's mess can cause grief and a messy service lane normally suggests a lack of interest or poor service from your bin men etc.

My First, My Last, My Everything

Take a look at your house numbers, are they rusty? Simply replace them with shiny new ones from your local hardware store as this will also help when viewers are trying to find your property particularly at night.

Have you thought about giving your house a name? Again, custom nameplates can be ordered and produced very quickly by your local DIY store. The house name you decide on doesn’t have to be registered but can be used on all of your marketing materials - giving your property an interesting, prestige twist.

Check whether your neighbours' gardens are tidy or not. Many a healthy sale has been foiled simply through bad feedback concerning ‘the state of the next door neighbour's lawn’. If they aren’t in a position to spruce it up why not offer to help out and tidy it for them? It pays to be a good neighbour.

Remember, kerb appeal is everything. Your front garden is the first and last aspect any viewer will see so make sure it’s looking the best it can. It will also help with the photography aspect on all of your marketing materials.

The Final Countdown

Once you’re done with all of this somewhat essential pruning, preening and pampering head out for the day – yeah, you deserve it. When you return do your own ‘drive-by’ and check out all your hard work. Whether you like it or not this is what buyers will do, even if you are not there, so always ensure, whilst your property is 'on the market' that it’s always looking at its best.

Want to get your home valued?