Street Appeal
Sooner or later home owners are going to sell their home.
There are many things that help determine the best price for price for your home, but the very first thing your home needs is street appeal. Home buyers often get their first impressions of a home from what they see. In many cases, this is the outside view and the area around the front door and they immediately form an opinion about your house. First impressions do count, the most beautiful home in the city will not sell unless possible buyers get a positive feeling about your house the minute they lay eyes on it.
When people stop in front of your house there are two things they see, your house and the front garden. If the landscaping is unattractive and poorly maintained, the house will appear to be unattractive and uninviting. Street appeal does not cost a lot of money; it's simply a matter of making sure the landscaping is neat and colourful.
Plants do much better in neat borders and the plants really stand out. Borders do not need any sort of special retention blocks or cheap looking artificial edging, just a nice clean edge cut into the lawn or use the edge of the path. Apply additional soil or compost to make the beds rounded.
When planting for street appeal, plant placement and selection is very important. Use a taller growing evergreen shrub or small tree as a feature plant. Under plant it with groups of three or five plants of the same variety to create impact.
Some of the easiest ways to improve street appeal include ensuring that simple garden maintenance has continued. A front garden with an overgrown lawn or dead plants suggests that the house might also be neglected. When a house is on the market ensure the lawn is mowed regularly and that shrubs look well-managed. Plants can be pruned, replaced or tidied up to give a better impression.
This street and landscape appeal is enhanced by choosing plants with a perceived "upmarket" value because they are rare, or more expensive to purchase than ordinary "bread and butter" plants from big box retailers.
In warmer climates a nice shady tree may be a feature along with large leaved tropical looking plants. In cooler climates choice rare specimen trees might be the answer. Colour from bedding plants, flowering shrubs and leaf colour and texture may be used as highlights.
Plants that can help a house loose value include woody weed trees such as silver birch, willow, poplar etc. Also rampant climbing plants can be quite messy. Tall trees that have reached maturity and will cost a lot of money and time to remove will also devalue the property.
A simple well designed garden can be create or resorting to a professional landscape designed garden with more detail can add considerable value. In both styles annual or biennial reviews are needed to make changes to keep the gardens up to date and well cared for.
One way to create a welcoming entrance is to use planting to lead people to the front door by using small hedges and interesting planting to make a series of mini features on the way to the front door.
Removing stray weeds around the pathway and in the gardens beds is important. Raking leaves on the lawn also helps to make the garden attractive. Anything that looks neglected, run-down or otherwise out of place should be removed or fixed.
Improving street appeal can also extend to just inside the front door, as buyers continue to form first impressions as they walk inside. Street appeal can be improved by making this area as uncluttered and neat as possible. While the area should not be empty, removing unnecessary stuff can make the entryway look neater and more attractive.
Street appeal is important in putting a positive first impression in the mind of a prospective home buyer.
There are many things that help determine the best price for price for your home, but the very first thing your home needs is street appeal. Home buyers often get their first impressions of a home from what they see. In many cases, this is the outside view and the area around the front door and they immediately form an opinion about your house. First impressions do count, the most beautiful home in the city will not sell unless possible buyers get a positive feeling about your house the minute they lay eyes on it.
When people stop in front of your house there are two things they see, your house and the front garden. If the landscaping is unattractive and poorly maintained, the house will appear to be unattractive and uninviting. Street appeal does not cost a lot of money; it's simply a matter of making sure the landscaping is neat and colourful.
Plants do much better in neat borders and the plants really stand out. Borders do not need any sort of special retention blocks or cheap looking artificial edging, just a nice clean edge cut into the lawn or use the edge of the path. Apply additional soil or compost to make the beds rounded.
When planting for street appeal, plant placement and selection is very important. Use a taller growing evergreen shrub or small tree as a feature plant. Under plant it with groups of three or five plants of the same variety to create impact.
Some of the easiest ways to improve street appeal include ensuring that simple garden maintenance has continued. A front garden with an overgrown lawn or dead plants suggests that the house might also be neglected. When a house is on the market ensure the lawn is mowed regularly and that shrubs look well-managed. Plants can be pruned, replaced or tidied up to give a better impression.
This street and landscape appeal is enhanced by choosing plants with a perceived "upmarket" value because they are rare, or more expensive to purchase than ordinary "bread and butter" plants from big box retailers.
In warmer climates a nice shady tree may be a feature along with large leaved tropical looking plants. In cooler climates choice rare specimen trees might be the answer. Colour from bedding plants, flowering shrubs and leaf colour and texture may be used as highlights.
Plants that can help a house loose value include woody weed trees such as silver birch, willow, poplar etc. Also rampant climbing plants can be quite messy. Tall trees that have reached maturity and will cost a lot of money and time to remove will also devalue the property.
A simple well designed garden can be create or resorting to a professional landscape designed garden with more detail can add considerable value. In both styles annual or biennial reviews are needed to make changes to keep the gardens up to date and well cared for.
One way to create a welcoming entrance is to use planting to lead people to the front door by using small hedges and interesting planting to make a series of mini features on the way to the front door.
Removing stray weeds around the pathway and in the gardens beds is important. Raking leaves on the lawn also helps to make the garden attractive. Anything that looks neglected, run-down or otherwise out of place should be removed or fixed.
Improving street appeal can also extend to just inside the front door, as buyers continue to form first impressions as they walk inside. Street appeal can be improved by making this area as uncluttered and neat as possible. While the area should not be empty, removing unnecessary stuff can make the entryway look neater and more attractive.
Street appeal is important in putting a positive first impression in the mind of a prospective home buyer.