With the spring selling season just around the corner, many homeowners are looking to prep their home for a smooth real estate sale. According to experts, one of the best places to start could be the backyard. A recent Gallup survey of home buyers revealed that a well-tuned and professional outdoors can add nearly 15% to a home’s selling price. What’s more, according to the Society of Real Estate Appraisers, 95% of Realtors concur that landscaping adds to the dollar value of real estate.

According to Chris Cipriano, a nationally-known luxury landscaping expert, investing just 5% of the value your home on landscaping can return 150% or more of the money invested. First, however, homeowners must know which enhancements can ensure maximum return, he says.

“It starts with cleaning,” says Cipriano. “After a simple cleanup, you can move on to more extravagant planting and repairs so that you create the feeling that someone belongs and the perspective homeowner can envision moving in without having to do anything to the outside of the home.”

Real estate professionals agree that getting people in the door is critical to a home visit. “If they don’t like what they see outside, they won’t want to go inside,” says Cipriano. “So you’ll need to showcase your yard for the times in which home buyers will view the home.”

For daytime prospective home buyers, Cipriano suggests showcasing color throughout the yard, while during the evening, he suggests lighting up the property.

“This way,” he says. “People can still stop by and look to see the features of the home, regardless of the time of day.”

Next, Cipriano suggests taking a good look at the hardscapes within your landscaping. Hardscapes, or the solid, non-plant fixtures within the yard, include walkways, gates and fences, patios, decks, etc. A common cost-effective material for hardscapes is concrete, however, Cipriano recommends natural stone, especially when it comes to walkways.

In addition to keeping your walkways tidy at all times, Cipriano says that, “Natural stone has great return on investment (ROI) for walkways. It’s made for longevity and it gives a clean look—far greater than any other paver.”

Once you’ve taken a good look at your hardscapes, the next place to increase  your ROI is the tree and shrub choices within your yard.

“These, too, are a great investment because as they grow, they increase in value,” says Cipriano.

The best and easiest fix for homeowners looking to sell this season is annuals. With a minimum investment, Cipriano says, you can have show-stopping color throughout the entire spring and summer seasons. 

If your yard includes full sun, Cipriano recommends using simple, large masses of color from annuals such as petunias. On the other hand, if you have more shade, impatients and other tropical looking plants are a great option.

“I would also suggest mixing in perennials,” says Cipriano. “They’ll help fill in any open areas. You will want to pick summer flowering perennials such as black-eye Susans or salvias so that at the end of summer you get a big push of color.

While adding color is a great way to attract potential home buyers, Cipriano cautions homeowners from going overboard. “Depending on your landscape theme, you don’t want to add too many colors, so stick to larger masses,” he says.

What’s more, if you’re looking to spruce up your front yard specifically, Cipriano says that there are ways to make the most of this smaller space.

“In this case you would just use smaller groups but still add the color,” he says. “You can do this by including flower pots in your landscaping to highlight the front door and keep it interesting. If you’re adding color to your walkways, also light them up in the evenings.”

Homeowners who take the time and effort to make their landscaping more appealing to home buyers are helping to get their home sold in a more reasonable time frame.

“The ROI can be anywhere from not having to make double mortgage payments over the next few months, saving time, or even getting the asking price in a more competitive market,” says Ciprianio. “Ultimately, keeping a great garden will keep your home fresh and help get the home off the market as fast as possible.”

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