When shopping for homes, the first thing you see is the outside….including the front yard. A home buyer is going to form their first impression of your home as they drive up. Unfortunately, curb appeal is often at the bottom of the list when selling your home. It doesn’t have to be painful or expensive! Try these simple landscape fixes to make your yard stand out:

ADD SOME COLOR! Plant some seasonal (colorful) flowers in pots and flower beds at least in the areas that you see right away. Annual flowers can be very inexpensive and are very welcoming.

FRESHEN THE MULCH! If your bark or mulch is reasonably new (placed in the last year or so), it can often be raked around and look great! It helps to blend any plant debris and fading that may be present. For older bark, grab a few bags or a small load and add a thin layer over the top of the most visible areas, especially on the path to the front entrance.

GIVE YOUR PLANTS A HAIRCUT! Not everything needs trimming and pruning, but give a little attention to the ones that are overgrown, making contact with any structure, impeding walkways, etc. You want landscape, not a jungle, to attract buyers.

WATER AND FEED YOUR LAWN! A little food and water go a long way. Water in the evening, or if you have an automatic system, set it for after midnight. Watering during morning or daylight hours will only cause evaporation of your efforts and burn your lawn. Always water after fertilizing and don’t fertilize too heavily or it can cause burning as well. A nice even layer of fertilizer (perfectly applied with a spreader) and about 15 minutes of watering in each area should do the trick. Don’t forget, fertilizer means green, but it also means growth, be sure to keep up on mowing.