When prospective buyers are on the hunt for a home, the majority are mainly concerned with how the inside of the house looks.
While you should keep this in mind when putting your home up for sale, it's also important not to forget about how the outside of your home looks as well.
Overgrown or even dead patches of grass, shrubs, and trees can make your home look unattractive. And a yard full of dirt and rocks can make your new property look like it came straight from the deserts of the wild west (and not in a cool way).
A few simple landscaping projects will ensure that your home is dressed to impress. What's more, enhancing your home's curb appeal could help increase your property value and see big returns on your home sale from little investment on your part.
You don't have to break the bank or spend countless hours on the weekend to transform your home. Below, we've put together a list of 6 simple landscaping tips you can follow to improve the curb appeal of your home.
Here are 6 Landscaping Tips to Improve Your Home's Curb Appeal
1. Add Vertical Elements to Your Lawn
When designing smart landscaping, you should keep in mind that the end result should add interest to your lawn. Adding vertical elements not only looks great but is also a good way to save space. This can be an important benefit when you are working with a small area of land.
Flower beds and shrubs can be combined to add depth. Start by clearing away all of the dead, dying, and overgrown original landscaping. From there, you can create a wavy-edged border around your front yard to add an artistic touch and then mounds of dirt within the border to add height. You can also incorporate landscaping fabric to help keep weeds at bay. Lush foliage and flowering plants can then be added to create a beautiful exterior design.
2. Incorporate Plenty of Color
Using lots of colors is one of the best landscaping tips to improve curb appeal. Colorful leaves and vibrant blooms can help create an eye-catching display. You can accomplish this in several different ways, including:
- Adding container gardens
- Installing planters
- Planting annuals flowers
- Incorporating gardens for fresh cut flowers
Be sure to cluster your annuals in large groups so that you create a design that looks professional and visually impactful. The location of your plants is also important. If you're aiming for landscaping tips to improve curb appeal, it's best to position your plants near a front door or gate.
Lastly, be sure to consider bloom time in regards to your plant installations. Not paying special attention to this particular detail can cause you to end up with gaps in your landscaping where either nothing is in bloom or the area appears to be completely barren.
Different plants bloom at different times of the year, so be sure to plan strategically when designing your landscaping.
3. Add New Mulch & Trim Back Trees
Fresh mulch in your garden beds can make your plants and lawn look more attractive. However, over time, the mulch can thin out and start to look dull. When this happens, it's best to add two to three inches of new mulch. Just be sure to use a mulch color that complements your planter beds. Simply adding fresh mulch can make all of your landscaping seem brand new.
Just like humans need a haircut every once in a while, the trees and shrubs in your yard also need to be trimmed back. Overgrown trees and shrubs should be trimmed to remove branches that may block your windows, walkways, or hang over your home.
4. Install Quality Landscape Lighting
One of the best means of improving your home's curb appeal is ensuring it is sufficiently illuminated. You can exemplify the best features of your home, as well as your landscaping features, is implementing a residential landscape lighting design plan.
This landscape lighting will not only increase the curb appeal of your property but will also provide several safety benefits. This lighting will illuminate a path or walkway at night, preventing any slips or falls, as well as preventing thieves, as they cannot hide in the shadows. If you are looking for the best ways to revamp your home's curb appeal, you should most definitely consider making sure it is properly illuminated.
5. Consider Proportions When Installing Plants
While there are many things you can add to your yard to improve its curb appeal, you should pay attention to proportions when deciding which plants to install.
For example, small flowers don't necessarily complement larger homes that feature a flat front. These homes would instead benefit from a row of mid-size shrubs that better fit the architecture. You will immediately notice the difference when you group your plants so that they match the shape and lines of your specific house.
While you don't want to hide your home with greenery, you want to choose flowers and plants that accentuate your home in a positive way and make it look more inviting.
6. Keep Your Landscaping Low Maintenance
While landscaping can improve the curb appeal of your home, you don't want to sign yourself up for another full time job maintaining it. Therefore, it's important to look for simple things you can do to enhance your home's exterior in a way that won't consume all of your free time.
If you live in an area that gets cold in the winter months, you want to have landscaping in place that can survive the freezing temperatures. For example, trees and shrubs look great regardless of the season. You don't want to have to constantly rebuild your landscaping from scratch to maintain good curb appeal.
By following these tips, you should be able to achieve great landscaping that equally fits your personal style, your home's architecture and improves your overall curb appeal. By adding in the right mix of elements, you will ensure your lawn and garden greatly improve the overall appearance and help your home sell fast when the time comes.
Make More Profit When You Sell Your Home With A SimpleShowing Agent
One of the main reasons you're probably looking to improve your home's curb appeal is so that you can make the most profit when you sell your home.
A SimpleShowing Agent will not only be able to give you suggestions on how to improve your home's curb appeal, but will also list your home for only a 1% listing fee.
SimpleShowing sellers profit $7,500 more on average on the sale of their homes.
To learn more about our listing services, request a free, online home valuation to find out your property's value.
