Your garden and patio area can have such a massive impact on the desirability of your property. A tidy, neat garden can be the difference in losing an additional sum of money from a low offer, or having three competitive offers on your property.
When property buyers envision themselves in your property, entertaining with little to no effort, in a space that they will enjoy showing off to their friends, you can be sure that your property will stand out and make the short-list on the buyer’s property hotlist.
Top Things Buyers Scrutinize:
Grass – With the rains across the country seemingly behind us, the Pretoria sun has started to scorch down on gardens and water restrictions are still in place. You might not have the lawn you once had, but what you have you can keep neat. Keep the grass all one height and try to pull the weeds which might be making an appearance across your lawn. If you have more sand than grass and don’t mind an extra expense, artificial grass might be a great option for you.
Tidy Gardens – Grass is not the only thing that people look at in your yard. Flower beds, weeds and any structures, such as wall gardens, hanging in your garden get a good once over from would be buyers. Make sure plant beds are kept nice and tidy. Cut back unruly trees and shrubs – you’ll be amazed how much bigger your yard looks when bug shrubs are cut back.
Fences – Your fences don’t need to be new, but they must not be dilapidated. Check your perimeter for any broken pieces or broken sections of walls. Fix what you can, else power wash with water, or possibly even give it a paint to make your fences look good as new.
Good Gutters – It might not be an easy tell in summer whether your gutters work or not – but at least do a perimeter check to see that none of them are falling down. A good gutter system (or at least having gutters) is something high on property buyers lists – especially as it ads some great options to connect to water storage systems later on.
Paving – If your patio or yard area has paving, buyers look for a well maintained patio with no moss or overgrown grass or weeds. For weeds and moss try to pull them. If you see some discolouration on your paving a quick home remedy is to use liquid dish soap or laundry detergent with some water. Let the soap sit for about 30 min then scrub with a nylon brush and rinse with hot water.
An Undercover Braai – If you have a built in Jetmaster braai, make sure you give your Jetmaster at least a good once-over anti-rust paint job or scrub down any heavy rust areas to make it look great! If you have a braai made from firebricks – clean out any braai remnants such as ash, food & oil stains with warm soapy water prior to buyers coming to view your home.
No Garden Clutter – Pack away any of the kids toys, garden tools, tree cuttings or that furniture and left-over building rubble you’ve been meaning to throw away. Now is as great a time as any.
Doggy-doo Free – Dog mess is natural, but make sure you clean just before potential buyers arrive. This way they can feel free to roam the garden without stepping in any landmines which may sour the experience for them. A lawn free from doggy-doo will also smell better, so buyers will feel like looking at your garden.
Utilising these tips will not only have more buyers interested in your property, but have you enjoying your garden area as well in your last few months at the property.
Considering making a move? Whether looking to buy or sell, contact one of our agents today.