This week’s guest blog is from gardening expert Lucy Myers of Myers Gardens and is all about how you can sell your home faster with a better garden. Based in Great Dunmow, Lucy works as a planting adviser and has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to making your garden look its best. Lucy works with homeowners in Bishop’s Stortford, Stansted, Takeley, Great Dunmow and all the surrounding areas to advise them on the perfect plants for their particular garden. Whether you need the best plant for a shady spot or the perfect climber – she’ll advise on what works best.
We often focus on the inside of the property when it comes to selling our home, but the garden is just as important. As estate agents in Bishop’s Stortford, we often see beautiful houses where the garden simply hasn’t been taken care of and it can be a real objection for potential property buyers. On the flip side we’ve also seen properties that have beautifully kept gardens that are a real selling point for local buyers. Bishop’s Stortford is certainly a popular area for buying a property, so we’re not short of buyers, but imagine if you could achieve an extra £5,000, £10,000 or even £20,000 by sprucing up your outside space?
So how can you sell your home faster with a better garden?
Here are Lucy’s top 10 tips to help you sell your home faster with a better garden.
- We all know that first impressions are paramount, so make your front door looks good with some attractive plant pots either side. For a formal look try hydrangeas or box, or shrubs made into a standard such as bay. For an informal cottage garden look to group a few pots of seasonal flowers together, maybe cyclamen and heather for winter and marigolds for summer. It can also “jazz up” a boring looking front door and give the property more of the “wow factor”.
- Consider putting some scented plants near each door – smells sell properties! There’s nothing better than being greeted by a lovely smell when walking through the front door. What better first impression? The plant you choose is of course dependent on the time of year. You may want to choose lavender or rosemary for the summer or perhaps daphne in the winter. Either way you’re sure to put a smile on your buyers’ faces (us estate agents like them too!).
- Tidy your flower borders and keep them weed free. Prune shrubs if appropriate and tidy back any plants flopping too much onto paths or lawns. We often find that a messy garden will have buyers saying “it’s too much work” as property buyers struggle to see past scruffiness. However, a good first impression will have buyers fighting over the property.
- Remove or renovate sick looking plants. Brown conifers just look scruffy!
- Spruce up your outdoor seating or dining areas by painting or staining old furniture. Dress the table with a shallow pot of houseleeks and succulent plants. If it’s a nice day, consider staging a table with glasses and plates – this will help buyers imagine how they might use the space. They can quickly imagine spending many a happy summer in the garden.
- Keep the expense down by borrowing pots and plants from family and friends. You can return them when the house is sold! Even if you do decide to buy, you can always take them to your new property.
- Mow the lawn and trim the hedges. Everyone loves a perfectly mown lawn! This is of course trickier in winter when the grass is soggy, but if everything else is smart it will make a huge difference when it comes to selling your property.
- Clean patios and paths. You don’t want potential buyers slipping on moss on their way to the front door. Not only is it a health and safety hazard but it’ll look neat, tidy and cared for too, once again creating that all important, great first impression.
- Sweep up leaves and/or remove any rubbish that may have blown in from the roadside.
- Screen bins and sheds with a trellis and plant jasmine, roses or clematis to grow up it.
For more information visit Lucy’s website at: www.myersgardens.co.uk