Take some tips from ‘Desperate Landscapes’

I’ve written on a number of occasions how important it is to keep your yard and landscaping flawless if you are selling your home. Nothing is an interest killer like a bad, weed-infested yard.

I’ve been watching a TV program lately that I can now endorse as a good guide to improving your landscape. Desperate Landscapes on DIY Network, hosted by Jason Cameron, is a show about taking bad yards and fixing them up. Jason Cameron is a carpenter by profession, so I wondered how good he would be at hosting this show, but he’s done a good job from what I’ve seen so far.

So if you are a home seller, I encourage you to not just watch the show, but take careful notes on what they do. The fixer-upper yard and your own yard might be very different, but if you pay attention to how they use space and what they plant, you will be able to apply the same principles to any landscape regardless of shape or size.

I like how Jason isn’t afraid to take out old trees that don’t do anything for the landscape, and he isn’t afraid to bring in new things that may make the homeowners a little nervous at first. That’s why he is good – he changes it up so much that you don’t even recognize the place when they’re done with it.

If you are more into having a professional do it, then I can promise it will be a good investment if you hire someone good. Many people would much rather do it themselves, which is fine too. Just make sure you have looked at plenty of good examples and plan exactly what you will do before you do it.

If all other factors are right, such as price, marketing, etc, then a transformed landscape will take your home to the next level.

Tags: Desperate Landscapes, DIY Network, landscaping, Salt Lake City landscaping, real estate

Make your yard pop

As a home-seller, it can be tempting to let your yard go just a little bit as spring approaches.  It’s easy to justify it – you tell yourself that it won’t be your yard much longer, so what’s the use of keeping it up like you did before?  While the logic is understandable, a serious home-seller must banish these thoughts from their mind and replace them with these words: “If my home is on the market, and I want it to sell faster, my yard must be the best on the block”. 

I firmly believe that sellers must adopt this mantra to be able to survive in this market.  In my experience, and I know I’m not the only one, I pay a LOT more attention to the homes that have stellar curb appeal.  The problem is when we think that the curb appeal that we have is enough.  In this market, it’s not enough.  It has to be better if you want the buyer to get out of their car at your house instead of the house across the street. 

Buyers love to drive around and look.  It’s that time of year. Chances are, they have not seen interior photos of any of the homes they drive by, so you have to really stop them in thier tracks.  Make your yard completely weed free.  Edge the lawn to create clean, neat lines.  Go out and get some fertilizer and green up the lawn as much as you can.  Keep your trees and bushes pruned neatly so they gon’t get in the way of any appealing parts of the home.  And just like you would de-clutter inside your home, do the same outside – no toys, hoses, wheelbarrows, or anything else like that lying around in plain view.

You may also need to touch up some paint that looks bad, or repair the concrete that was damaged during the winter.  You don’t need to spend a lot of money to bring out a landscaper (if you can, that’s great) – you just need to take your yard’s existing assets and play them up to perfection. 

I can’t over-emphasize this.  Make your home’s exterior and your yard pop.  Don’t make potential buyers imagine how the yard COULD look – make it look perfect now and you’ll get more people to get out of their cars. 

Tags: curb appeal, landscaping, real estate, home yard maintenance