Backyard Mamma is pleased to welcome Kris Lindahl, a realtor from The Kris Lindahl Team, as a guest blogger. Kris has some great tips about sprucing up your backyard to help sell your home.
Will cleaning and freshening up your backyard actually add value to your home? Could it help you sell your home faster? Many times, the backyard is a forgotten asset by homeowners. However, it can be an excellent extension of the entertainment and lifestyle features of a home. Today’s home buyer is looking for a space that’s inviting, relaxing, and designed to provide ample comfort. What can you do to improve the market value of your home from your backyard?
Make Your Space Inviting With Small Touches and Maintenance
The most important first step is to make the backyard (and the rest of the home) a highly desirable place to be. Adding features is a nice way to boost value, but if you don’t clean up the clutter and trim back the bushes, it will miss the mark. Remove non-natural items from the space. Trim back all trees and bushes to make them look crisp and well-maintained. Get rid of leaves, any dirt, and debris. Patch the grass as needed.
Add Pathways
Tinker Turf
A backyard looks larger with the addition of a pathway or two. If the property has landscaped islands, create a stone path from one to the next. Add a sidewalk that winds around the home, leading into the backspace. Consider the addition of a small patio in the further away portion of the yard to create a secluded area.
Patios and Decking Are a Big With Buyers
Stone Hardscapes
Adding a cement, stone, or wood deck to the backyard adds significant value. Forbes reports that the addition of a wooden deck can add as much as $4,000 to the property value, depending on size and market conditions. It does not necessarily have to be an expensive addition or a very large one. However, it should be professionally designed and very safe. A large outdoor space like this provides an opportunity for relaxing and entertaining. In a pinch, even just creating attractive seating areas can help!
Evaluate Pool Additions
Custom Fiberglass Pools
Pools can be a nice benefit to some homeowners. They provide a relaxing area and some outstanding summer days spent with friends. However, not all home buyers look for this addition. Some view pools as hard to maintain, costly to keep up, and a liability risk, as noted at Investopedia. The key here is to consider the market carefully. If every other home in the area has a pool, a new, modern pool will add value. If it is not a “given” for the market, speak to your real estate agent about the potential it offers. Also, weigh in the costs. If pools aren’t necessarily popular with buyers in your area, but you already have one, you’ll still want it to be clean and free of debris.
Landscape for Beauty and Function
Exterior Worlds Landscaping & Design
Look for landscaping design inspiration. Home buyers want a home that looks fantastic, but it also helps to be easy to maintain. In some communities, large areas of grass work just fine. In others, though, it is all about adding more landscaping that takes away from the daily chores of maintaining the outdoors. When investing in landscaping, choose items that are low maintenance. Items that may require a lot of cleanup and management each year wont necessarily hurt your chances, but you might want to avoid adding more than you already have. Nevertheless, every flowerbed or outdoor space needs to be well maintained and looking sharp for your would-be home buyers.
Other Projects on Your List
The backyard can be an excellent place to put the pressure on the competition. There are several additions you can make. Speak to your real estate agent about the viability of anyone, based on the cost and timeline to install it and the return on your money within your local market. Options may include:
- BBQ areas
- Fire pits
- Outdoor kitchens
- Spas or hot tubs
- Gardens
Zuo Modern | American Fyre Designs | Master Spas | Firemagic Grills
Ponds or other water features
Aquascape
Homeowners can wow buyers with a simple backyard that’s well maintained and inviting. It helps to make key decisions about how to improve your space to boost your home value and bring in more home buyers.
Kris Lindahl is a Minnesota native and owner of The Kris Lindahl Team with RE/MAX Results.
