When you’re trying to sell your home, even the tiniest of details can put off a potential buyer. If there is any damage, no matter how small, they won’t be as likely to make an offer. If the house is dirty or untidy when they come for a viewing, that’s also going to affect your chances. But don’t just think about the inside of the house, the garden is just as important. In fact, the garden is more important in a way because it’s the first thing that people will see when they pull up to the house. In the real estate world they like to use the term kerb appeal; it refers to the way that your house looks from the kerb outside and it has a huge effect on people’s decision to make an offer because, even if the house is great on the inside, people will go in with a negative impression if it looks awful on the outside. With that in mind, these are some of the best changes to make in the garden if you want to add value.
Tidy It Up
These changes don’t have to be expensive additions, just keeping it tidy is important. When a potential buyer pulls into your driveway and sees an overgrown garden that hasn’t been touched in months, they’ll automatically assume that you don’t look after the property. When they get inside, even if they can’t see any visible damage, they won’t trust that it’s properly maintained and they won’t be likely to put an offer in. Just make sure that you mow the lawn regularly and pull out any weeds, it’s not a big job but it makes a big difference.
Patio
Looking after the garden is a bit of a pain and if you’ve got large areas of grass and plants, buyers will immediately be thinking about how much work it’s going to be to maintain that garden. That’s why it’s worth considering replacing some of the grass with patio paving instead. It breaks up the garden and introduces a few more features, which can often make it look bigger. You can also advertise it as a great outdoor entertaining space rather than just a big lawn.
Fences
Home security is a concern for any buyer so it’s important that you put their mind at ease. Bolstering all of the doors and windows in the house is the first step, but don’t forget about the garden as well. Burglars are often going to try to get in through the garden so if you’ve got low or flimsy fences, buyers are going to worry. Replace them with some brand new tall and sturdy ones and consider putting security spikes on the top so nobody can climb over.
Shed
Storage is another thing that most home buyers are looking for. If you haven’t got that much inside the house, there isn’t a huge amount that you can do about it. However, you can add quite a bit of extra storage out in the garden by putting a shed in.
