When prospective buyers show up to your Saanich Peninsula home the first thing their going to notice is your lawn and landscaping, or lack thereof. The look and feel of your property can immediately impress buyers and make them more interested in your home or turn them away entirely in search of another property.
Once you’ve decided on selling your home the last thing you usually want to do is spend more money on the property but a small investment in some key areas of your landscaping can yield very good returns and you won’t be spending a fortune either, for projects that can dramatic visual differences in your property.
Here are a few of our recommendations for lawn and landscaping tips to help sell your Saanich Peninsula home.
#1. Weed The Lawn and Garden
Depending on the size of your property weeding the lawn and garden could take an hour or several. Gardens on the Peninsula can quickly get overrun with weeds like Dandelion, Thistle, Knapweed and more if they aren’t properly cared for or neglected. If you’re selling your home you don’t want the lawn and gardens to look neglected and by having all of the weeds removed your property will have a much better appearance and for little investment other than labour. Your time or the time of a professional landscaper.
#2. Fresh Application Of Mulch In your Gardens
A fresh application of mulch, such as bark mulch will restore a nice uniform look to your gardens soil surface and will offer a very attractive contrast between the foliage in your garden and the fresh mulch. Mulch is quite cheap, the biggest expense isn’t the mulch it’s usually the delivery and subsequent spreading of it in your gardens and around your property. For a few hundred dollars in material and delivery charges and possibly a few hundred more for labour it’s a small investment that will make your property look much cleaner and well cared for.
#3. Trim and Prune Overgrown Shrubs and Trees
If the trees, hedges or shrubs on the property have not been trimmed in a while then you’ll want to have all the dead branches removed and the trees trimmed into an attractive shape, rather than a mess of branches. In the case of privacy hedges or large cedar hedges they should also be trimmed up, nice and clean into a uniform shape. Mature trees and hedges add value to your property so it’s important to maintain them and keep them looking their best. Depending on the size of your trees or hedges this project could take a qualified landscaper a few hours to an entire day but the end result will be a small investment for a much sharper looking property.
#4. Clean Up Ponds, Pools and Water Features
If you have a pond, pool or water feature on your property you’ll want to make sure it’s clean and not overgrown with algae and full dead leaves and other organic matter. These should be cleaned by a professional with a power washer so that the water in your pond, pool or water feature is clear, or close to it which is not always possible with a pond. The bottom line is that you don’t your water features to appear unattractive or neglected, this will turn buyers off immediately. If you have filters that need to be changed, or pumps that need to be serviced this should be completed and documentation provided to your listing realtor for prospect buyers. This shows you are being pro-active with your home maintenance and gives home buyers warm fuzzy feelings about your property.
#5. Power Washing Decks, Patios and Driveways
Anything on your property or exterior of your home made out of wood or concrete will attract the growth of organic matter such as algae, moss, mildew and mould. Wood decks become algae laden and slippery when wet, driveways can appear very dingy and overgrown and patios are not immune to this either. Nothing is more unattractive when buying a home then a property that isn’t clean and well kept. It’s amazing what a difference a good power washing can make and it’s a very affordable project that can usually be completed in just a few hours for most Saanich Peninsula properties.
#6. Clean Your Gutters Inside and Out
Keeping your gutters clean is just regular home maintenance we all need to do, but we see many homes on the Peninsula with algae and dirt stained gutter faces (outer portion of the gutter), this doesn’t look very good. If your gutters haven’t been cleaned out in a while and have “tiger stripe” stains, they should be cleaned both inside and out using a pressure washer and special attachments. Clean gutters really improve the appearance of your homes exterior and it will only take a maintenance professional a few hours to clean them for you on most Saanich Peninsula homes.
#7. Paint or Stain Wood Gazebos, Arbors, Pergolas or Fences
If you have some wood outdoor landscape features on your property you’ll probably remember how good it looked when it was just built and freshly stained or painted. After a few years wood landscape features like gazebos and fences can begin to look a little weathered and a good coat of fresh paint or stain will restore them to a like new appearance. If the structures are damaged such as broken fence boards, rotten boards, lattice missing or other structural issues, they should be repaired by carpenter before painting or staining.
#8. Give The Entire Yard a Good Clean Up
Your entire yard should be given a good “once over” cleaning. Leaves, branches and other organic debris should be raked up and removed. Remove any junk or garbage on the property, the lawn should be mowed and the grass collected to be dumped into a compost or hauled away. You want your property too look maintained, you just don’t want to spend a fortune doing it and a good clean up takes nothing but man power and maybe a dump trailer or bin truck. Most Saanich Peninsula properties a large yard can be cleaned up in a day with a good team of hard workers, the difference it will make in your property is hard to put into words.
Who Should You Call To Get Your Landscaping Ready To Sell Your Home?
Island Pro Mowing and Landscaping is a full service lawn, garden and landscape maintenance contractor based out of Sidney, BC. We specialize in working with property managers, realtors and homeowners to get the lawn and landscaping ready for the real estate market. Property cleanups, tree trimming, lawn installations and more.
If you have a home or property that is about to go on the real estate market and it’s need to be cleaned up or landscaped please give us a call or fill out our online form and someone will be getting right back to you.
Connect With Us!