Increase Your Property's Value Through These Backyard Tips
In recent years, property prices across the country have skyrocketed. The median house price has risen to 6.9 per cent just from 2019 to 2020 alone. Still, while many homeowners are seeing gains, some are seeing more than others. And often, it can come down to your lawn and garden care.
If you want to increase your property value before putting your home on the market, these lawn and garden care tips are worth noting.
Carry Out a Yard Tidy-Up
No prospective purchaser wants to be stepping over half-eaten dog toys and abandoned children’s bicycles to get to the front door. First impressions count, so don’t underestimate the need for a yard tidy-up.
Push a wheelbarrow around your yard and pick up all those odds and ends that need to be returned to their rightful homes. You’d be amazed at how neat and tidy a yard can look after just removing items that don’t naturally live there.
Spare a Thought for Lawn Health
It almost goes without saying that a healthy lawn is going to look more attractive than a patchy, unhealthy one. Carry out a soil pH test to determine if there’s anything you need to do to improve your lawn’s health. The majority of lawns prefer a pH level of 6.5. Ask your local lawn care expert if you require assistance with this process.
If you need to raise your pH level, lime or wood ash might be a way to do so. Otherwise, you can lower it with organic fertiliser or sulphur.
Mow Your Lawns
Mowing your lawns is one way to make your yard look neat and tidy for prospective purchasers. You can do this yourself, or you can hire a lawn mowing service to do it for you. If you plan on having photos taken, or hosting open homes, make sure you mow your lawns with the catcher on to improve your yard’s presentation.
Clean Up the Gardens Too
You may be surprised at how much value you can add to your property by merely tackling your gardens. According to a global garden report, a well-maintained garden can increase a property’s value by approximately 16 per cent. Many real estate agents even believe that an immaculate garden can shorten the length of time your property takes to sell by several weeks.
The task of gardening can be as quick and easy as pulling out weeds, or it can require the investment in new, healthy plants and fresh soil. Whichever route you go down, know that it could ultimately boost your property sale price by tens of thousands of dollars.
Create an Entertainment Area
Having a beautiful lawn is an essential part of preparing your house for sale. Still, an entertainment area can be as well. Even if you don’t have a huge space to work with, you can do more with it than you might think.
Invest in paving stones to create an even, flat area. Then, consider investing in outdoor furniture to suit the design of your home. Having a focal point like a barbecue or outdoor fire pit can offer the illusion that your property is an entertainment paradise, as well.
Invest in Lighting
During the day, lighting isn’t essential in your garden. At night, though, it can make all the difference. Look at any professional real estate photos taken from the outside at night, and you will be amazed at how stunning any property can appear.
Lighting can be both temporary and permanent in your landscape design. You can spend a small sum of money on solar lighting and dot them around your garden. Alternatively, you can pay a little more and add them to the exterior cladding of your home. Lighting may not cost you a fortune, but it can certainly be a garden care tip that increases your property value.
Pathways
Not only can pathways in your yard protect your grass from being trodden on during the winter months, but it can also add much-needed style to any blank canvas. You can have pathways leading to quaint patio areas, or even to the children’s play area. Neatly-edged paving stones can also be a way to add charm to your property.
Increase Your Property’s Value with Ease
While big changes like fencing, painting, and new fixtures can increase your property value, so too can small things. Something as simple as mowing the lawns can make a dramatic difference to your street appeal and overall presentation of your home.
Don’t be afraid to call in the big guns for help with lawn care and gardens, and you can have that ‘sold’ sign up in no time.