Imagine you’re sitting outside, on your wooden, newly painted porch, and you look out over the front yard. There’s a tree to the side, overhanging branches and leaves, obscuring view of the neighbor’s house and their vehicles and their driveway. And there’s a lawn riddled with rocks, small and large, white and prominent, with mostly sparse grass all around.
You may think–hey, it is what it is. I’m not planning to sell the home anyway. If it looks a little bit unkempt, no one’s gonna care.
Except–you’d be surprised. Many do care and more importantly, a better lawn makes a better ‘you.’
Landscaping can speed up a building’s sale by as much as six weeks.
And according to a Clemson University study, homes with “excellent” landscaping generated a sale price between 6% and 7% higher than equivalent houses with “good” landscaping.
It stands to reason that landscaping has a smart economic value. Even though the initial investment may be costly–it may chew up initial funds; after all, those rocks won’t pick up themselves and that tree has to have some branches taken down. But overall, the house will sell for more; some say, the return on investment for landscaping is 200%.
These tasks, of course, can be completed with just you or the help of a few friends. But with a 9 to 5 job, a family to support, and responsibilities in the home, it may be more prudent to call a landscaping company. They offer the following:
- Lawn care, including mowing, trimming, and hedging
- Picking up debris, such as rocks or loose objects
- Trimming down or cutting down unwanted trees, which is a dangerous task
- Filling potholes with soil or dirt
- Putting down fertilizer or herbicides to make your lawn grow
- And assorted other tasks
For certain services, a landscaping company will move quickly. For lawn care, many companies employ special equipment, such as zero turn lawn mowers or ride behinds. Of course, if you want to do it yourself, here are some landscaping tips and landscaping tricks:
- Make sure you have sunscreen, a hat, and clothing that protects from the sun.
- Make sure you hydrate well–a bottle of water per hour in the sun is a good measure.
- A good lawn makes a difference. Think about using herbicides to get the grass to grow full. It will take a season but will look better by the end.
- Edge the lawns using an edger; don’t be wary of the blades; it’s tough work but gets your lawn looking really nice
- Dispose of rocks at a disposal site. This is if your county dump won’t take them.
- Trees are great for blocking out unwanted sound. They can also reduce air-conditioning costs by 20% to 50%. Only remove the ones that are posing a hazard.
- Eat protein to build your muscles back up.
Lawn care is important. Appearance is important. Looking the right way in line with your neighbors and neighborhood reinforces why you moved to the neighborhood in the first place. Taking care of your property will win you much admiration. It will also lead to a higher selling point when you do sell the house.
All in all, never forget that the work you put in will benefit you in the long run. And if you’re not willing or able to put the work in, think about contacting a landscaping company. They should be able to get the job done quickly and hopefully for a reasonable price.
