Even people who have been happy in their homes for a long time have considered selling their houses the past few months.
With stories of above-asking offers and bidding wars, it’s hard to ignore the potential to cash out at the top of the market.
If this fall turns out to be the right time to sell for your family, there are a few clear ways you can improve the curb appeal and make the landscaping as strong as possible.
When surveyed, top real estate agents mentioned the following as valuable choices for fall home lawn maintenance when talking to Homelight.
Leaf Removal Is Worth It
Even if there’s something very autumnal about a bunch of leaves on the ground, keep those leaves raked this fall. Not only does a yard look tidy and neat when the leaves have been removed.
Raking leaves also helps to keep drainage flowing through the yard, avoiding mildew or mold and avoiding pooling water near the home. It’s also healthier for the lawn to not have too thick a blanket of leaves, since the grass still needs sun and air at this time of the year.
Mulch for a Clean-Cut Look and Healthy Perennials
Mulching has so many benefits that it is a wonderful choice for your pre-sale checklist. Well-mulched beds look great, for starters, and give a home a real air of pride, all without hours and hours of weeding.
If you don’t have a lot of time before listing your home, mulching can be a real value-add for curb appeal. What’s more, is that it has long-term benefits.
The perennials in your flower beds need their roots protected if there is an especially cold winter’s day, and a layer of mulch can be just what they need.
At the same time, mulch discourages those same weeds from ever-growing, so next spring will be easier too on your home’s new residents!
Buyers Will Be Looking for Landscaping that Protects the Foundation
While not every buyer is going to pay this much attention, it’s wise to make sure your landscaping slopes away from the foundation of the house.
One thing inspectors look for is whether there are cracks in the foundation or ways for water to seep into the basement or lowest floor of the home.
Water that flows during storms down toward your foundation can pool there. In the winter, in particular, water seeping into micro-fissures in the foundation can freeze and expand, making cracks worse.
The easiest way to prevent this over time is to grade the yard so as to get water flowing out and away, not hanging out by the foundation at all.
While this may be a bigger job than mulching or raking, it can be worth it to really inspire confidence in careful homebuyers.
With all these strategies, you can make the call for which one is most important for your particular home. Your real estate agent will also have valuable insight into what small changes to the yard could move the needle when it comes to generating buyer buzz!
