Yards have always been somewhere on the checklist of most homebuyers. However, today, green space is more important to homebuyers than ever, meaning you’ll need to bring your green space A-game if you want your home to sell quickly.
Green space Value
Why is green space so important in today’s real estate market? Research is showing access to green space offers tremendous physical and mental health benefits ranging from stress and blood pressure reduction to ADHD-symptom improvement and creative boosts. So, the question isn’t if you should capitalize on your property’s green space... it’s how.
Usability Is Key For Green space
Green space of any sort is a commodity in certain metropolitan areas, such as New York City and Chicago, where the mere presence of green space alone can bolster your home’s selling price by at least 20 percent from its comparable properties.
With the above in mind, usability is generally the key to making green space a huge selling factor for your home. It’s not enough for the buyer to see that the green space is just there. Think of it like a buyer seeing a room in your home is there but not being able to envision their own use of it without it being properly staged.
This is why sellers need to make the effort to highlight their home’s green space, too. Show that your home’s outdoor space is accessible and usable, which ultimately adds value and helps your home sell faster and more favorably.
Attracting Buyers With Green Space
You know why. Now, you need to know how, right? Here are three green space ideas that attract a larger buyer pool, are easy to maintain during the selling process, and won’t break your budget.
1. Backdoor Appeal
You know about curb appeal and the importance of making sure that greenery doesn’t obscure your home’s architecture, walkways, and entrances. But, is your backyard appeal up to par?
Just as curb appeal helps draw a buyer into the house, backdoor appeal draws them to the main extension of their living space - the backyard.
Keep window treatments open, sheer, or even remove them if your home has large picture windows. Now, buyers can see that your home has an outdoor asset to explore and just how accessible it is to them. If weather permits, you may even want to open windows.
2. Grooming
If a buyer sees an unkempt lawn, bushes, weeds, and trees, they’re likely to think about all the work involved yard maintenance, not the fun they can be having in the outdoor space.
If you’re unable to do the routine yard maintenance and landscaping yourself, consider contracting it out during the selling process. These experts can even help you make your green space more aesthetically appealing with flowerbeds.
Depending on your property, the addition of adult fruit-bearing trees could be a great selling feature.
Another option is switching to turf grasses or covers, which are low-maintenance and can be touted as eco-friendly solutions to gas mowers and chemical herbicides.
3. Stage It
Again, staging a home’s interior is often necessary for buyers to visualize the function and fit of a space. Green space can easily and cheaply be staged to help buyers make that same visualize for their outdoor space usability.
A warm and cozy outdoor rug, some string lights, fire pit, patio furniture, and outdoor grill demonstrates that this green space adds entertainment, relaxation, and socialization, not just aesthetics to the home. Try adding a hammock if you have a nice shade tree; buyers can now envision themselves actually taking advantage of the green space’s offerings.
Adding pavers for walkways, decking, fencing, sprinklers, and water features can be a little more pricey ways to use your green space to attract buyers and sell your home faster. Like interior kitchen and bathroom upgrades, it’s best to ask your local real estate expert if such substantial green space investments would yield a good ROI for your area and particular property.
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