Six easy ways to groom your garden for sale

Every vendor knows to make the house look immaculate on the inside when preparing it for sale and open homes.

But sometimes that means that the outside is ignored.

Which doesn’t make sense, as the front lawn and the garden is the first thing visitors are going to see points out Groom It owner Mark George.

George has specialised in upgrading gardens and landscape for the sale, saying that first impressions matter a lot.

“As a buyer you either get good vibes or bad vibes about how the house looks from the front. People generally are making a lot of assessments as they are walking toward towards the property from their car.”

Experienced Barfoot & Thompson agent Leila MacDonald says cutting the hedges, mowing the lawns and cut back any weeds and adding colour are must-dos before selling.

“From my experience a nice garden doesn’t add value to the house, but it makes it easier to sell and makes the property more inviting,” she says.

However, George says that a well-groomed and maintained garden will sell an un-sellable house and increase the value and the appeal of the property.

“For every dollar that you spend outside you get about $5 back, minimum,” he says.

George says making the garden appealing to most of your potential buyers is the key, so you don’t need to be a specialist.

Here are six simple ways on how to do upgrade your yard before the sale:

1. Get the lawn into shape

Make sure you’ve done the lawns before taking listing photos of the property, as a not-so-good lawn looks even worse in the photos than it does in real life.

A lush, green manicured lawn will enhance the presentation of the house. Make sure to choose the right type of grass for your climate and soil type.

If time allows, George says it always pays to transform an empty piece of land into a new lawn. He says Kiwis love a good lawn to set up a barbeque or play rugby on and the more they have, the better.

2. Plant some colours

Add colour to the existing greenery, even if it is just a few different shade of green, will freshen up the look.

However, don’t go overboard on the colour and instead pick one that complements the house’s exterior colour scheme and adds just a few fresh pops of colour to the scenery.

George’s top pick would be white hydrangeas over any other flowers, as they last all summer, and fill up lots of space easily.

3. Prune

If the property has big overgrown trees it is necessary to shape them up, regardless of the season. Remove the dead branches on the tree and under the tree so it looks fresh and well-cared for.

By doing it, not only you’ll make the garden look neater but also let the light into the property.

However, George says, keep in mind privacy and don’t remove too many branches,

“You don’t want to see next door neighbour's house because privacy adds value to the house,” he says.

And don’t forget to clip hedges too, as crisp neat finishes make a garden look super-groomed.

4. Don’t make it too complex for future buyers.

You future buyers might not want a fancy garden to maintain, so keep it simple and low maintenance. Not everyone has interest in spending weekends working on maintaining the complicated yet beautiful garden you’ve created.

George points out that a minimalistic approach works for not only those who don’t like the flowers or see gardening as a chore, but also for avid gardeners as they can see the potential for their green fingers to add more and give it a garden the character they desire.

5. Power-wash the house and dirty surfaces

Cleaning dark areas on the walls or the garden fence will make the greenery stand out a whole lot more.

With very little time or effort, you can make grungy and dark surfaces look brand-spanking new. Power washers do a great job of cleaning fences, as well as brick walls, concrete paths and decks.

Give a driveway and footpaths, and particularly any stairs in shady areas, a power-wash and a good scrub to remove any suggestion of mould or damp, and make it safe for open home visitors.

6. General clean up

Hide your rubbish bins somewhere away from the front garden or decks. If you have to, store them somewhere else during house viewings, as they can be an eye sore or even smell.

Put away all the gardening tools and get rid of any old clutter that you have sitting on the lawns such as play grounds, furniture or trampolines past their best, mis-matched plant pots or dying shrubs.

Water features can be a beautiful addition to the garden but only if they are well maintained and cleaned up. Make sure there’s no algae or leaves floating on the service, and change out water filters so it looks clean and fresh. If the feature such as a fountain or trickle doesn’t function any more, consider removing it from the garden as it might be seen by potential buyers as burden or drawback.