The memories are great, but you can only trip over the golf clubs in the front lobby so many times before you have to conclude that you need more space. I mean, you found the dog sleeping in the bathtub last week! That might just be because he’s weird, but there really wasn’t anywhere else that he could have fit.
The kids are growing, and they aren’t going to take up less space, so it’s time.
But, before you can move, you’ll need to sell. A few years ago, that might have been the easy part. It was a seller’s market and all you had to do seemingly was hang a sign up, and wait for the above-asking bids to come flooding in.
Things have changed. The market is now slightly favouring the buyers, so you’ll need to go an extra mile to make sure that you get the value you need out of your sale.
An easy and affordable way to speak to that is to give your yard some TLC before listing your home. Curb appeal is a significant factor in hitting your asking price. After all, it’s the first impression that potential buyers get when they tour your home.
And, you know what they say about first impressions.
With all that said, here are five things that you can do to give your yard the curb appeal you need when looking to sell your house.
No judgment. We’ve all been there. Your home is for living in, after all, and that includes using your yard.
The result of using a yard is that there are things on it – toys, sports equipment, bicycles, your kid’s lunch bag for some reason.
Stuff.
That’s fine most of the time (but maybe have a chat about the lunch bag!), but this isn’t “most of the time.”
Tidy up and keep that yard clutter-free during the selling process.
It may not be rational or fair, but people are judge-y about lawns. They want them green and well-kept.
If you’re a lawn care person, become one. Hire someone, if needed. You can search on MoveBuddy for a company near you.
A few dollars spent now to improve the look of the lawn could mean thousands more on the sale.
Remember that time when you forgot to pick up the wine for that important dinner party with your partner’s boss?
Was it a good idea to buy flowers for them the next day?
Think of your yard and potential buyers the same way. Buy it some flowers. People like flowers, and it helps them forget what it is they don’t like about things.
We can all use a little trim from time to time, and our trees and shrubs are no different. Give them a good prune (or hire someone) so that they are healthy and vibrant when people are looking at the house.
Finally, grab your power washer (or rent one) and scrub the entire outside of your house. No one likes dirt.
If you do these simple things, you can set yourself up to sell your house for the maximum and get one step closer to moving into a house where the dog doesn’t have to sleep in the bathtub (unless he actually likes it).
