As a real estate investor, you don’t want to waste your time and money with high-maintenance landscaping. In our latest post, you’ll learn about cost-effective landscaping techniques to maximize your curb appeal without breaking the bank.
Landscaping can have a huge effect on your ability to quickly sell a home. It’s the first thing people see when they come to see the home. First impressions are huge. People will often decide if they are going to purchase or not within the first few seconds of seeing the home. Having cost-effective landscaping will help bring more attention to your home. Keep reading to see some of our best tips.
Kill Weeds
Weeds are abundant in the warm climate of the South. It’s a good idea to kill off the most common weeds that make a lawn look ugly. Dandelions, dollar-weeds, and thistle are some of the most common types of weeds. Ortho makes a potent herbicide called Wee-Be-Gone. This is a strong chemical that can kill off all the ugly weeds by attaching the bottle to a hose and spraying on the lawn. This is the fastest way to kill off all the weeds.
Once the weeds are dead you can then seed the lawn, depending on the time of year, so you will have a nice lawn come in. If you purchase the house close to the summer months the seedlings won’t be able to survive the heat. Depending on the price point of the property you may want to consider using sod.
Mulch
Mulch is a great way to dress up the house and add curb appeal. If you will be buying a substantial amount of mulch it will pay to bring a truck to a wholesale distributor so you can buy in bulk at a better price.
An inexpensive alternative to mulch is pine-straw. This resource is abundant in North Carolina because of the popularity of pine trees. This isn’t as attractive as mulch, but it is far more cost effective.
Plants & Shrubs
Plants and shrubs strategically placed in garden beds and throughout the property can really make or break the curb appeal. The real cost savings will come from purchasing your plants directly from a wholesale distributor. The only catch is that you have to own a company, an LLC is fine because they don’t sell to the general public. Big box stores triple the price of these items and it hardly makes sense to buy shrubs there.
Personally, I prefer Japanese Holly (Skypencils), and Gardenias. These shrubs are cost-effective and pretty.
Add Some Edges
Giving the lawn sharp and clean edges can really make it stand out. Also, you can use some inexpensive borders to create flower beds and designated areas throughout your yard. There are all kinds of materials you can work with. Small fencing, bricks, plastic barriers, or even rocks from your own yard, can be used to separate a garden from everything else. Once the barrier is up, you’ll just need to add a few plants, some mulch, and you’re done. Your yard will appear professionally designed, without much cost or effort.