25 Jul FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT
First Impressions Count
Spring is a good time to sell your home. The weather is slowly bit-by-bit improving, people aren’t quite going away on their summer holidays and the garden is budding, blooming and bursting into life.
First impressions are important and the garden is often overlooked when it comes to selling property. If your front garden needs a quick makeover, consider buying a couple of small trees or shrubs to put either side of the front door for a grander, more welcoming entrance.
Tatty, tired steps can be hidden with evergreens in decorative pots which will last even when spring and summer are over, just in case you don’t sell the house immediately. You can also take them with you to your new home.
Hide eyesores such as dustbins by putting them out of sight, if that’s not viable you can quite easily disguise them behind a framework of trellis and fast-growing climbing plants in pots.
Certain design strategies can help make the garden seem bigger. If you have a narrow or L-shaped garden, consider segmenting it into areas or zones – introducing archways or pergolas will make it seem bigger.
Adding curves to a bed will help make it more interesting, while strategically-placed outdoor mirrors can also make an area feel larger.
‘They say’ the smell of bread baking or freshly brewed coffee helps sell a house, but a gorgeously fragrant front garden may also help, planting low level lavender hedges along the driveway or other scented plants near your front door with help leave lasting impression as people both come and go.
Budget bedding plants
A small pot of seasonal bedding flowers like marigolds or snapdragons will add instant colour to your garden. They come in a range of bright colours and will look beautiful in any garden.
See what plants in the local area are flowering well, if need be go ask the neighbours, you can guarantee these plants would grow in your area and in your soil!
Make sure to feed your plants frequently and keep them well watered in the heat – cut off any dead flower heads to keep them looking good.
Make the approach to your front door fresh and inviting with a fragrant hanging basket or window box. Use multi-purpose compost and add water-retaining gel.
Lawn care
Create a greener, lusher lawn by feeding and seeding it. Regular mowing in the summer should keep it healthy.
Between May and August, pick a cool, moist day to apply a summer lawn fertiliser or chicken manure pellets. Sprinkle them across your lawn and lightly water.
Perk up your paintwork and front door
Revitalise wooden fences, gates and sheds by giving them a lick of paint, using paint specifically designed for outside use. Pick a ‘normal’ colour that other people would like, not just you. Paint the front gate and driveway gates in the same colour.
And finally get out a sponge and some soapy water and wash down your front door, window frames – this is especially important if the they’re made with white UPVC.