By Pam Christensen
Funny, I pulled up the article that I wrote last year for our May newsletter and we had the same depressing rainy and gray weather! But this year our April was even wetter, windier and grayer! We have had a couple of 70 degree days to give us hope that there really is a sun in the Pacific Northwest, and so it’s time to get started on creating curb appeal that sells. So, put your rain slicker and rubber boots on and head into the yard so when the sun shines you’ll have some beauty to enjoy, and your buyers will be delighted with spring color when they walk up the sidewalk to view your home.
The first thing to do is to just clean up any debris and all dead foliage in the yard. While you're raking up those soggy leaves you will probably discover a lot of green shoots starting to poke their heads through the mulch. If you didn’t see the flower beds last year, it will be hard to know what exactly those green fronds are going to grow into, so it’s probably best (and easiest) to pull everything and start from scratch. In the spring with the wet soil, it’s easy to have a landscaper come in and turn the soil, pulling any weeds or new growth. Then simply re-mulch the beds with a dark brown mulch, add a spattering of spring blooming plants that are known to keep blooming through early summer. Martha Washington geraniums are great, pansies will bloom into fall and many times will live through the winter. Primroses are good cool weather bloomers and are fairly hearty.
If your lawn is in good shape and you won’t be driving across it or dumping heavy construction garbage on the lawn during your rehab, you can heavily reseed during the spring and have a good chance of having a lush lawn in time for listing. Make sure and choose a seed that is appropriate for the soil type, amount of sun and drainage for the yard. Your landscaper can advise you or you can discuss your yard with any of the local nurseries. Most have experts on site who will be more than happy to answer your questions. On to pruning. Spring may not be the best time to prune especially if you have heavily budded rhododendrons or hydrangeas. While I follow the adage that if you can’t see it you can’t sell it, pruning a Rhody before it blooms can interrupt the bloom cycle and prevent you from having a shrub covered in beautiful flowers that will create amazing curb appeal. The best rule of thumb is to prune early bloomers after the bloom cycle. Later bloomers such as roses, lavender and butterfly bushes can be pruned in late winter or early spring without a risk of losing late spring or summer flowers. Most trees and non-flowering shrubs can be pruned anytime, and welcome a spring haircut. Dead branches and foliage can be pruned any time.
If you have a large front porch adding a few large pots filled with blooming annuals and even a couple of bright Adirondack chairs will make your entry pop and wow your buyers from the street. Make sure you add a new welcome mat that says “Welcome” and that your front door is freshly painted or looks new. If you aren’t sure about the best color to paint your front door check out last month’s article about front door colors.
I have really focused on the front yard in this article as it’s the most important for the first impression of your home, but don’t forget about the side and backyards. If your home has a fence it should be in good repair and it might be worth your time to add a fresh stain or coat of paint if the fence is tired. Decks should be pressure washed and mildew free, and it doesn’t hurt to add pots with fresh blooming annuals on back decks as well. I hope this helps to give you some guidance and ideas for one of the most important finishing touches for your home. As always if you have questions you can email me at [email protected], or just post a question on our Facebook page and either I or one of my designers will be happy to help. I’d love to hear from you! Please visit my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/stagingforcharisma
About the Author...
Pam Christensen specializes in working with investors to help them maximize their return on investment by providing high-quality staging that gets results!
Pam Christensen, CREI, ASPM
Staging for Charisma, LLC
www.stagingforcharisma.com
www.facebook.com/stagingforcharisma.com
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