If you’re thinking of selling your home, it’s never too early to plan for great curb appeal. Your front yard, regardless of its size, will play a huge role in your home selling success. It’s critical to create the best possible initial impression for home buyers. If they don’t feel visually welcomed, they’ll never make it to your front door. That’s why I’ve prepared seven tips to help you create great front yard curb appeal.
1. Start with a focal point and plant optimally.
Typically, your front door is your focal point. The last thing you want to do is hide it. If you’re considering large plantings such as trees, think about how they will frame the front door as you approach your house. For two-story houses, foundation plantings should extend at least eight feet out from your house. Be sure that shrubs closest to your house are not taller than the windows, so you don’t block the light coming into your house or the view. Make plant choices for the amount of light that each side of the house gets.
2. Use ground covers.
Let’s face it, grass is high maintenance – watering, fertilizing, weeding, trimming, etc. You should consider using ground covers (plantings that are low to the ground and dense) as a low-maintenance complement – or substitution – to grass. Ground covers allow you to use spring bulbs nicely and hide the dead leaves after the bulbs bloom. In the Southwest deserts, the low-maintenance equivalent to ground covers is xeriscaping. Landscaping with native plants and attractive rocks and stones is not only the green thing to do, but your front yard will be the better for it during the worst drought periods.
3. Accent the driveway.
If you’d like to enhance your asphalt driveway, install a border of Belgian blocks or cement pavers along the edges. This border will give your driveway a more finished and polished look.
4. Create a sweeping entrance.
For straight driveways from street to house, you can soften the front yard lines with a curved planting bed where the driveway meets the front corner of your yard. This will create a pleasing, sweeping effect as you approach the house.
5. Add some color.
Make the most of perennial flowers and shrubs. They come in a variety of colors and hues to match against your home and lawn. Investing in young perennials means these flowers last longer over the years. Perennials that can handle extreme climate conditions is an investment that will pay back well. Add a flowering tree, and you’ve got nice curb appeal and fragrance during springtime bloom!
6. Keep some privacy.
Instead of a solid hedge, consider buffering with shrubs of various heights – this look can be more welcoming. Alternatively, if you have a particularly large front yard that ties to the back, install fencing around the front yard. There’s so many types to ponder, including white picket, latticework, and stonework. Be sure to factor in your soil composition.
7. Think long-term.
Plan around twelve to fifteen years out when planting trees in front of your house. Since they’re considered a permanent fixture of the landscape, avoid planting them too closely. When planting shrubs, think about how they’ll look in three to five years. Once again, avoid potentially blocking windows!
You don’t have to be a professional landscaper to create a front yard attractive to home buyers. With a little planning and a few hours of work, you can greatly enhance your home’s curb appeal and increase its value!
Do you have any front curb appeal tips you’d like to add? Please leave them in the comments below!
And if you have any questions about home design or about selling or buying a home in metro Albuquerque, be sure to contact me today!
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