Sure, your clients are selling a great home. But with that home comes the landscaping, or lack thereof, and it might be a deal-breaker for potential homebuyers.
Is your listing’s yard full of unruly shrubs, trees with dead limbs, and ivy that’s taking over? Or is it the opposite: overdone and high-maintenance? It’s entirely possible that the landscaping is scaring off buyers.
If your listing has one (or more!) of these landscaping problems, you may want to suggest that your clients handle them to help their home sell quicker.
The Yard Looks Shabby and Unkempt
Your clients may not have the money for a fancy koi pond or an irrigation system, but the yard should still look cared for. An unkempt yard can really kill a home’s curb appeal and take away from its market value. A disheveled yard can make a potential buyer think that the owners don’t care about the property.
Keeping the grass mowed and edged properly can make a huge difference with little effort. If there are bare patches, suggest that the sellers throw some grass seed out there to help fill them in.
Overgrown shrubs should be trimmed back, which can increase curb appeal, but can also help more natural light reach inside the home. Beds should get some fresh mulch, too, which is an inexpensive upgrade that provides maximum impact.
Trees are Too Close to the Home
In general, trees are good for the value of a home. They can provide shade to keep a home’s energy bills at bay in the summer, provide privacy, and provide a nice, shaded lot to enjoy. They can also create a great cozy, wooded vibe.
But if trees are too close to the home, it could be an issue. Aesthetically, they could be blocking the natural light from reaching the interior of the home, making it seem dark. They can also hide the home.
Aside from that, trees that are too close to a home could be seen as a threat to a home’s structure. Certain trees have deep root systems that could potentially puncture pipes, like the water line coming into the home. Trees that are too close can also scare off buyers that might worry about the tree falling or dropping limbs during a storm.
If possible, the sellers should consider removing trees that might be posing a problem or don’t enhance the property.
The Landscaping is High-Maintenance
Even if the yard is incredibly nice, does it look like it’s really high-maintenance? Beautiful landscaping adds tons of curb appeal, but if it seems overdone, buyers may think it’s going to require more upkeep than they are able to provide.
Water features, like koi ponds, can also scare away potential buyers that are looking for a more low-maintenance yard, or are concerned for the safety of their small children.
If the landscaping looks like it’s going to require a lot of work, your listing may benefit from some added information about the upkeep. For instance, if the home has an irrigation system built in that takes care of it all, you should definitely include that information for potential buyers.
If the homeowners have had a trusted service taking care of their pond for them, you may want to mention that. Once a buyer understands what the yard actually requires, they might not see it as so overwhelming.
