Selling your home? Don’t neglect its exterior!

Deciding to put your house on the market is a difficult decision to make.  Our homes are our havens and are undeniably filled with memories that are eternally attached to our emotions.  From each ding in the drywall to the unpainted soot mark on the kitchen ceiling reminding us of when we horribly failed at our first attempt at flambé; leaving these behind isn’t easy, but sometimes it is necessary.  We innately know that to sell our homes, they must look as appealing as possible inside to gather enough interest to make the sale.  This means, we need to spackle up those wiffleball bat dings in the wall and paint over the ashy ceiling disaster, but one thing that should not be neglected in the repair and staging process is the outside of the home!

Not many people will be interested in touring a home that doesn’t look attractive on the outside.  Curb appeal is the public’s first impression and is just as important when letting your home go as it is when you are living in the space.  Yes, making sure the grass is cut and the front landscaping is alive and well is a good start for those driving by rubbernecking your home, but the backyard is just as, if not, more crucial to the status of a home on the market.

As an accomplished outdoor living design/build firm, we understand the sheer value of an easy and aesthetic indoor to outdoor transition and what that means for the families that occupy these spaces.  With the popularity of outdoor spaces being designed, constructed and accented to look as beautiful and feel as comfortable as your favorite indoor room, that sentiment is becoming the expected norm.  Even if your outdoor living space is nothing more than a concrete patio and some healthy grass, there is always potential to beef up the space for imaginations to take over during the open house.  It will serve you well to stage these spaces to be as alluring as possible so the potential buyer can imagine themselves in the space during their walkthrough.

To have a buyer respond positively to your home, you need to put yourself in their shoes and make improvements that reflect your sale price!  If outdoor features are in disarray, make sure to repair them sooner than later.  This does not necessarily mean to you need to completely redo your deck, but perhaps a sanding and some fresh stain will do the trick.  Do you see a rusted carport, tattered awnings or pile of scrap wood?  Get rid of them!  Making outdoor repairs and decluttering your property will make it seem nicer, larger, cleaner and a lot lighter for possible purchasers.

Cleaning up your backyard landscaping should also be on your to-do list.  Removing dead plants, cleaning up leaf and weed debris, trimming any wild branches, edging and throwing down some new mulch will bring new life to the space.  According to Zillow’s Home Sellers Guide, people tend to shop for homes as the weather gets warmer for a few reasons: tax returns have been received, the weather is favorable for moving-in, the sun shines longer, school breaks have begun and there is more available time to select the perfect home.  With that being said, it surely will set the scene to plant some colorful annuals around the property and incorporate some planters with vibrant foliage and flowers to make a beautiful statement and the space feel more inviting and homey.

When all outdoor features are in order, clean and tidy, it will be to your benefit to stage the backyard for comfort.  To start, make sure all stray toys, bikes, pogo sticks, moon shoes…etc are out of sight.  Unfortunately, while your kids may play with these items all the time, when it comes time to sell, they act as distractions and signal that there is no outdoor storage to potential buyers.

Accentuating any existing outdoor features in the backyard will help to sell the dream.  Add firewood to the firepit, place your larger than life pizza peel next to the oven or grill, make sure the water features are turned on…small details actually make the biggest difference!

Keep in mind that homebuyers want to be able to use their patios, porches and backyards like extensions of their dining and living rooms; it will help to organize your furniture for a setting meant for conversation.  Outdoor umbrellas if it’s hot, fuzzy throw blankets if it’s cool, comfortable cushions, pillows and accent rugs will soften the structural features and can subliminally invite the buyers to sit down and discuss their feelings and what their initial offer could be!

All of these tips will enhance and elevate the outdoor look of your home, for both real estate listing photos and welcomed foot traffic!  First impressions are key, so make sure you’re ahead of the game and are ready for any last-minute visits, you never know when the right buyer is on the way!

Whether your new dream home needs your personal touch or you have decided to stay put, if your space seems to be lacking the features and feelings you want in an outdoor living space, MasterPLAN would love to help!  Specializing in personalized design and construction of structure and landscape, a comprehensive, cohesive and timeless outdoor living plan is all it takes to live your best life outdoors.  To discuss all options for your property that custom fit your family and your lifestyle, reach out to MasterPLAN Outdoor Living; together we can create a space that you won’t ever want to leave!