Selling Your Home|There are Backyards, And There Are Backyards

Here in Tallahassee, FL springs are colorful, summers are scorching. The fall is fantastic for outdoor anything… and the winter’s a a little nippy, but enjoyable most of the time.  So, when you are selling your home in Tallahassee, FL, paying attention to the outdoor details is just as important as preparing the interior for showings.

This year, I’ve had the privilege of listing some fantastic homes, with backyards to die for. While not everyone can live on a golf course, or have lake frontage, there are still many ways to bring the outdoors and indoors into perfect harmony.

Whether professional landscaper or master-gardener or weekend warrior, there are a few ways to make your backyard one that a home buyer will see themselves enjoying.

Here are some backyard tips:

• Shade  – Do you have a pot that a table and chairs can be arranged? can you add a few plants, a pergola, an arbor or a simple awning or umbrella table? Add a pretty flower pot on the table, a few glasses and a bottle of wine, and the buyers may never leave!
• Grass or Lawn Covering – Typically, centipede grass grows well in Tallahassee in sunny lawns, and St. Augustine grass grows well in shade. No matter what, cover some bare spots, create a backyard people want to take their shoes off in, and can see the kids playing in their vision. Have pets? Make sure the pooper scooper is close during your listing period. Nothing is worse dodging than fresh poop when trying to show your home.
• Shrubs, Plants, Flowerbeds – There’s all kinds of mulches available now. Just about any that are fresh, free of leaves, debris, limbs and weeds will make a buyer feel you have attended to the details of maintaining your home. Add a splash of seasonal color with a few native plants and you have created a visual success.
• Water Features – Not everyone has lake frontage, or swimming pools, but if you do, make sure they are clean and inviting. Nothing is worse that a dark, stinking pool left unattended. Not many buyers can see beyond that when purchasing a home. Not many know how to maintain a pool, much less bring it back to sparkling once it is out of control. If you are on water, keep the edges of the water mowed, free of weeds and debris that causes people to think “snakes and gators.”  Koi ponds… a beautiful alternative to adding a water feature to a home, but there is maintenance involved. Algae and water plants must be controlled, pumps must be cleaned and koi must feel good about where they live.. it’s just good karma. If you can’t clean it, fill it in, consider a rock garden, it’s must less maintenance!

There are many reasons to keep a backyard clean and welcoming, but the one most important is that the backyard speaks to the pride of ownership that home-sellers have had for their home. So, with that, I’m off to the nursery, mine is needing a little attention too!

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