Landscaping Trends for 2019: Here’s How to Spruce Up Your Outdoor Space

If you’re selling your home in Orlando, your real estate agent has already talked to you about home staging and cleaning up the outside so it’s as appealing as possible to prospective buyers.

But check out these upcoming landscaping trends – they’re what buyers will really be looking for this year.

Landscaping Trends for 2019: Here’s How to Spruce Up Your Outdoor Space

The National Association of Landscape Professionals – a huge trade association that reaches all over the country – says that people aren’t just looking for decks and patios anymore. In fact, spokesperson Missy Henriksen told Realtor.com, “What we’re seeing is people’s desire to make their outdoor living space an extension of their home. People are being very intentional with how they want to use their outdoor spaces.”

Here’s what you need to know:

You need functionality and scenery
Automated maintenance is the way to go
Color pulls in buyers
Metal decor is trending

Functionality + Scenery

Like Henriksen says, prospective buyers want to actually use all that outdoor space. Think about planting a vertical garden on a trellis to beautify your privacy fence, use built-in seating on a retaining wall or put in a stone path that winds through the trees.

Automated Maintenance

Who has time to water and cut the grass, tend the garden or make sure they’re turning off all the landscaping lights? Installing a programmable sprinkler system and including a robotic lawn mower with the house, as well as setting up lighting that shuts off automatically, can be the way to go if you want to sell your home this year.

Adding Pops of Color

Okay, so having a few colorful plants in your backyard has always been a trend – it adds depth and beauty, and your buyers can admire the plants from both inside and outside the house. If you don’t have any colorful plants or bright design features in the backyard, you might want to consider adding some before you list your home.

Pro tip: Choose low-maintenance plants that you won’t have to tend very often. Your buyers will appreciate that, too.

Metal Decor is Trending

Metal isn’t for everyone, but if you can pull it off in your design, it could have a big impact on the way prospective buyers view your home. Think about using steel or iron in your backyard decor – you can use it a fountain or mini waterfall, furniture, or even decorative art and sculptures to make a big splash.

Are You Buying a Home for Sale in Orlando?

If you’re looking for a new home for sale in Orlando, we’ll help you find something that’s just right for your needs. Call us at 407-529-4621 right now to tell us what you’re looking for!

While you’re here, check out our:

3 Fall Yard Staging Tips From the Pros

No matter what time of year it is, your yard needs to be staged to sell when your home is on the market – but there are a few tips you can do to show buyers you have a great year-round home.

3 Fall Yard Staging Tips From the Pros

Show off your home’s curb appeal and outdoor living space with these three fall yard staging tips that can help you sell faster and for more money.

#1: Set Up an Inviting Outdoor Living Space

Even if you don’t use your backyard much, potential buyers want to see that the indoor living space extends outdoors. Set up furniture that shows it’s the perfect place for entertaining, such as a table with an umbrella, cushioned lounge chairs or a fire pit with comfortable seating around it. (Or all of the above, if you have the room and the budget for it.) Use decorative pillows to make the space look even more comfortable, and think about hanging lanterns to add a beautiful glow to the space – especially if prospective buyers are coming near dusk.

For bonus points with buyers, set the table and put out fresh fruit in a bowl.

#2: Make the House Kid-Friendly, but Not Kid-Overrun

You don’t want the house to look like it’s been overrun by children, but you do want to show that it’s kid-friendly. Try lining up bikes, scooters and skateboards in the garage or on the back porch, or put up a few outdoor games.

#3: Add Some Color

You don’t have to re-landscape your entire yard, but adding some potted plants with flowers in them – particularly those with fall colors – can help boost your curb appeal and give buyers a warm welcome. Some great outdoor plants to try in your yard during fall are:

Are You Selling a Home in Orlando?

Thinking of selling your home? We can help you do it quickly and at the right price. Call us or get in touch with us online for a free home valuation – we’ll tell you how much your house is worth on today’s market. If you’re also looking for a new home, check out our:

4 Home Staging Secrets From the Pros

Whether you have a home for sale in Orlando, Windermere, Winter Park or another community, your Orlando Realtor® has probably already talked to you about staging, but how much do you really have to do – and how do you do it?

Here’s the scoop.

Why You Need to Stage Your Home

The numbers don’t lie: Staged homes sell faster – and for more money – than homes that aren’t staged. That means if you want to sell quickly and at the best possible price, it’s your job to make sure your home is as appealing to buyers as possible.

Our infographic shows exactly why.

4 Home Staging Secrets From the Pros

Staging is about more than cleaning (although that’s a big part of it). It takes a little planning and a decent amount of work to create the perfect environment for real estate photos and showings, but in the end, it’s all worth it. (Your agent can direct you to a professional home stager if you can’t, or don’t want to, do it yourself.)

Expert home stagers have four secrets that they don’t share with non-clients, but we’ve uncovered them and want to share them so you can sell your home at the best possible price (and in the least amount of time). Those secrets involve:

Improving curb appeal
Spotless cleaning
Minimizing furniture
Creating a neutral environment

Curb Appeal Matters More Than You Think

The first impression buyers get of your home is typically online, when they see your 3D tour or high-resolution photos on someone’s website. The second impression they get is when they pull up to the curb, and that impression is incredibly important – it can make or break the way they feel about your home.

Your home’s exterior needs to look fabulous, and it needs to invite potential buyers in to see more. Buyers need to get excited about your home the second they spot it from the car, and to make that happen, you have to:

Cut the grass
Pull the weeds
Power-wash your sidewalk
Add some color to the front porch by way of live, potted plants (if you don’t have them in the yard already)
Clean your windows, porch and front door

Keep On Housekeeping

You want buyers to see that you’re able to maintain a spotless home all the time (even if you really do let a few things slip now and then), so your house has to be immaculately clean. If you don’t have the time or energy to do it yourself, it’s a good idea to hire a professional cleaning service so your home can put its best foot forward for potential buyers.

Before a showing, you have to:

Dust
Vacuum
Spot-clean
Make sure there’s no clutter (none at all) on counter tops or table tops

If you have pets, pick up their toys, litter boxes and food bowls. Take them (and your pets) with you when you leave!

Less Furniture is More… Really

When you’re staging your home, you want buyers to see an easy traffic flow within spacious rooms. They can’t envision their belongings in your space if your space looks cramped with furniture, so take out all non-essential pieces and put them in storage.

If you have furniture that’s seen better days, that needs to be the first to go – and aim for a minimalist look with everything else, too. Spare chairs (including cozy old recliners when there are other seats in the room), too-big tables and other furniture that makes your space look smaller or impedes traffic flow belongs in a storage unit, where it can sit until you move into your new home.

Neutral Appeals to Everyone

Take down family photos and anything that potential buyers might think is eccentric. You don’t want your home to be bland, but you don’t want it to be obvious that it’s yours, either. Again, buyers want to envision their belongings in your space; that’s tough when all they can see is your grandma smiling down from over the fireplace or they’re overwhelmed by your exceptionally large clown figurine collection.

Your agent can walk through your home with you to point out things that may not be a good fit for showings, so if you’re not sure about something, ask!

Are You Selling a Home in Orlando or the Surrounding Communities?

If you’re thinking about selling your home in Orlando or any of its suburbs, we can help. The first step is to find out how much your home is worth, so call us right away at 407-529-4621 or get in touch with us online. We’ll be able to value your home and tell you what it’s worth so you can make the right decision about selling.

If you’re also looking for a new home, check out our:

Landscaping Trends for 2019: Here’s How to Spruce Up Your Outdoor Space