If you are thinking of, or have made the decision to sell your Seattle home, you should be thinking about what you can do to increase the resale value. A nice backyard is a huge plus for any home on the market – with lot sizes in Seattle getting smaller and smaller, it’s essential to make the most of every square foot of your backyard.

Maybe there are some repairs that need to be made that you’ve been putting off, but don’t let those indoor problems distract you from the outdoor problems that you might also have been neglecting.

By this, of course, we mean, your garden. Perhaps it is overgrown by flowers and shrubs planted long ago, perhaps the lawn needs new turf and is starting to yellow slightly. Perhaps there are weeds growing out of nooks and crannies or the back garden could use something to spice it up a little bit. 

However, if you choose to revamp your house’s landscaping, know that when you do, you’ll be adding between 15% and 25% to your home’s resale value. Making it a worthwhile investment. Here are some tips on how best to revamp your gardens to get the most that you can out of them when it comes time to sell. 

Returfing the lawn 

If you look outside at your lawn and all you see are patches of yellow - where the sun has burned the grass to the point where it will not regrow properly - or, let’s say you see some holes where burrowing animals have made their mark. Now might be a good time to get some re-turfing done by a professional landscaping company. 

You don’t have to go crazy with your lawn’s re-turfing, simple is better and cheaper than re-turfing the whole lawn. Another tip for a new lawn is to install a sprinkler system. This will help the grass grow in low-rain areas and drought conditions. 

Add a lot of plants 

If you find that your garden doesn’t really have that many plants, then it’s time to add some! These plants will make your garden stand out from the rest and breathe new life into it. It may be worth consulting a gardening professional when it comes to this step, as they will know what plants go well with what and how to plant them properly and so on and so forth. 

Plants and flowers of various types really bring character to otherwise dead space and can give your prospective buyers plenty of hope for the future, particularly if they’re a green thumb. Start with some native plants, and then look at seasonal flowers — these add color throughout the year. 

Create raised flower beds 

Raised or separated flower beds provide a sense of scale and separation for your lawn. These can be located on the deck, on the sides of the house, or elsewhere in the garden. If you don’t want to plant your flowers directly into the garden, this is a great, mobile and cheaper option. 

And you can get as creative as you like with them — consider different shapes across the lawn and vary the plants you have. You don’t have to stick to flowers either — herbs are also great in raised beds.

Create a social space 

One of the most important things that lawns and well-maintained gardens will do for you is to create a sense of social space. Any newcomer to your property wants to feel like they can just walk out into the garden whenever they want, rather than having to put the work in themselves and create that social space for themselves. 

With this knowledge in mind, consider building a small deck to help separate the social space from the lawn, where the children may play. There’s nothing better than relaxing in the garden on a hot summer day. 

Plant some trees 

Aside from your flowers and plants, it’s really important that you plant some trees on your property. Trees have been shown to add anywhere from 3.5-5% to a home’s resale value, as they are seen as an investment in the future. Know that whatever tree you plant, will outlive you, so choose wisely. You’re leaving a legacy behind in the land. 

No matter how you choose to add value to your home before you sell, you cannot neglect the outside — it’s the first thing that a potential buyer will see before they enter the house, and that first impression counts.

Written by Luke Fitzpatrick

 

About the Author

Luke Fitzpatrick has been published in a variety of publications such as Forbes, Tech In Asia and The Next Web. He is also a guest lecturer at the University of Sydney, lecturing in cross-cultural management and the pre-MBA program. https://www.sydney.edu.au/

 

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