Boost your home's street appeal

A messy, unloved garden could make potential buyers drive straight by, so make sure your garden is inviting enough to encourage buyers to step inside your home and see more.

Sort out your lawn

Edging your lawn makes a garden look neat and tidy, and gives the impression that it’s easy to look after. Use a spade or edging tool, or use timber, steel or brick to create a permanent edge. If your lawn is looking a bit dog-eared, over-sow it with a lawn seed blend, which will thicken it up. If it can’t be rescued, lay new turf.

Mulch and weed

Weeding and mulching your plant beds will help your garden to appear low-maintenance and well-kept.

Garden lighting

Well-placed outdoor lighting can make a garden come to life in the evenings. Uplighting feature trees and highlighting footpaths will take your garden to the next level. Call your local electrician for advice and installation.

Upgrade your mailbox

Mailboxes are more than just a functional item, They are often the only structure in the garden, so make sure yours is clean and rust-free, or replace it with a more modern feature mailbox to suit the style of home. A prominent street number will ensure your home is easily found.

Add colour

Fill pots with plants and put them in your garden beds to give an instant splash of colour, and fill any ‘dead’ spots. Try pansies, chrysanthemum daisies, marigolds or geraniums (and you can take anything in pots away with you if you are selling).
Large potted feature plants on either side of the front door will make your entryway look balanced and inviting.

Create privacy

If your home overlooks a busy road, or your neighbour’s property, use trees or shrubs to create a screen. This will also soften an outdoor area and make it look bigger. If you want the result to be instant, use mature plants. Effective screening plants include Viburnum ‘Emerald Jewel’ (Viburnum odoratissimum), Magnolia ‘Little Gem’ (Magnolia grandiflora) and Cottonwood Hibiscus (Hibiscus tiliaceous).

Keep on top of the maintenance

Once you've invested the initial time and effort into your garden, make sure you keep it that way. Your home may be on the market for some weeks. Keep new plants watered until they're established and remove any weeds as soon as they appear. On inspection day make sure any fallen leaves and stray soil is swept up (don't forget the corners where debris can collect). Roll up garden or pool hoses neatly. Hand over your home to the new owners in the same neat and tidy state it was in when the sale was agreed upon.

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